Christmas Fluff
by AJsRandom
Summary: A collection of Christmas-themed stories I found myself writing. Will be various genres and not totally fluffy but will be Christmas-y, and ratings will not go over "T."
1. Tree Shopping

**Illness stymies the Pendragon Family's tradition, but Morgana comes up with a new plan. Enter the Emrys Tree Farm.**

* * *

The kitchen phone rang, startling Merlin from his coffee contemplation. It was too early for calls- ones with good news anyway -and he hoped he was wrong. "Good morning, Emrys residence."

"Berlin?" It sounded like his name, not the city, but . . .

"Yes? Lance?"

"Des, dis is Lance. I'b dorry, I cad't cobe do work doday."

"Lance, are you all right?"

"Bo, I habe da fwoo."

"Oh no, Lance, it's the busiest day of the year."

"I'b dorry, Berlin, but I ab doh dic."

"Don't worry about it, Lance. Just . . . get better, all right?"

"Dank you Berlin. Dalk do dou lader."

"Bye Lance."

It looked like he was right after all. And as it was Black Friday, there was no one else he could think of to take Lance's place. The Emrys Tree Farm would just have to operate a man down on the busiest shopping day of the year. What else could go wrong?

oo0Ô0oo

Morning didn't begin any better in the big mansion on the hill. "Ahh-CHOO!" Uther said, turning his head away from the breakfast table at the last minute. Arthur dropped the newspaper he'd been holding and rushed over to his father.

"Dad? Are you all right?"

Uther pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose. "No," he said when he'd finished, "I think I'm getting that flu that's been going around."

Arthur felt his father's forehead. "You do seem warmer than normal."

"I think we'll have to postpone our tradition."

"What? _Not_ get our Christmas tree today?" The three of them normally trudged out into the cold to the wooded area of the property to chop down a suitable tree. But it was Uther who always wielded the axe—Arthur had tried it once. Just once, because he was totally awful at it no matter how many times Uther demonstrated and guided. Arthur sighed.

"Unless you really want to chop your foot off, we'll have to wait a few days."

"Grr!" Arthur pounded the table. He really shouldn't feel like this—he wasn't a kid anymore. But they'd held this tradition for over twenty years only to be stymied by a virus. "This sucks."

Uther chuckled for a moment before he broke into a cough. "Indeed. But unless you can think of another way, I'm afraid you need to get over it. You'd better call your sister too, to let her know."

Arthur sighed again. He hated calling Morgana while she was shopping. She invariably got irritated at interruptions and would probably chew him a new one. But it couldn't be avoided; she had to know. He pulled out his phone and stabbed a finger at her picture.

"Yeah?" her insolent tone rang out loud and clear despite the background noise.

"Morgana, we have a slight problem at home."

"What is it?" her insolent tone melted away.

"Dad's coming down with the flu. We won't be able to get the tree today." He nearly dropped the phone when Morgana swore loudly. "No, I don't think that will help."

"So we'll have to wait or risk you chopping your foot off."

"Hey, that was _one_ time—"

"Yeah, yeah. Shut it. Let me think." There was silence as Morgana thought for a moment. "Hey, I think I've got it."

"Yeah?"

"Somewhere on my drive here, I passed a Christmas tree farm. I could meet you there later?"

"A tree farm? But it's not the same."

"Arthur, do you want to somewhat hold up tradition or not? If you want to get the tree today, meet me at the address- I'll text it -in two hours. Got it?"

"Of course." Trust Morgana to figure a way to make it work.

"All right, little brother, see you in a couple then."

"Bye." Arthur hung up and stared at his phone for a minute.

"What is it?" Uther wanted to know.

"Morgana. She's found a way."

"A tree farm? I'd say that's a fairly good option."

"But Dad—"

"Arthur, do you want another lecture?"

His phone beeped at that instant and he looked down at it. Sure enough there was a text from Morgana that said, _Emrys Tree Farm-1000 Avalon Highway-be there or I'll pick the homeliest one_. Arthur had to chuckle at that. He read the text to Uther, who also chuckled until he began coughing again.

"Let's get you upstairs to bed," Arthur told his father. He helped Uther out of his chair and upstairs to bed.

As Arthur tucked him in, Uther touched his arm and said, "Pick a beautiful one for us, okay."

"How can I go wrong with Morgana helping me?"

Uther smiled. "Of course."

"Get some rest now. I'll see you later with _the_ most perfect tree we can find."

Arthur turned out the light as he left his father's room. He found the housekeeper to let her know about Uther's illness then got dressed to go out. He had a little shopping of his own to do before he met Morgana.

oo0Ô0oo

Merlin leaned against the side of his house. He counted himself lucky that Lance was such a good friend-slash-employee. Lance'd called their mutual friend, Gwen, who'd graciously set aside her Black Friday plans to come help Merlin and Hunith. She'd subbed a few times before, so she knew roughly what to do. But she'd never been here on day like today. It was hardly ten a.m. and the fir was already flying. He laughed at his own joke for a second before moving to the door. He needed to refill the hot chocolate carafe _again_. People loved his mom's hot chocolate. Good thing she'd made enough for _two_ armies.

He refilled the huge thing as quickly as he could then darted back outside. They couldn't afford to be short-handed for very long. The busy-ness meant good business and he was needed out there.

Luckily today wasn't any colder than expected—that probably would have kept many people away. But though it looked like snow later, plenty of people browsed through the firs, pines and spruces they had available. It was a good thing he loved this time of year.

He stopped staring and hurried to place the carafe on the table next to his mother. She was busy handling a transaction. A beautiful Douglas fir would soon be making its way into its "forever" home. He watched her for a moment then hurried to the front to greet the new customers he could see arriving.

oo0Ô0oo

Arthur grinned as he pulled up to the temporary parking "lot" at the tree farm. A few trees in the front were decorated prettily and the rest were arranged in orderly rows. It looked like the Emrys family took good care of their stock, at least. That boded well for their search.

He spotted Morgana waiting by her car and walked over to her. "Hey there," he said, startling her because she had her nose in her phone.

She put the phone in her pocket and looked up at him. "Hey," she gestured at the rows of trees, "so what do you think?"

"I think they have more varieties than we do."

Morgana chuckled. "It wouldn't take much, silly. We have maybe two—they have seven." She pointed to the informational sign he'd missed earlier.

"Oh, wow. I didn't know there were so many."

"I know, right? Shall we?"

"Definitely."

As they walked through the opening in the fence, a tall man approached them. Morgana took a long look at his dark hair, sapphire eyes and sharp cheekbones. "Yum," she said so only Arthur could hear her. He rolled his eyes but kept walking forward.

"Hello, welcome to Emrys Tree Farm. How can I help you?" Merlin said. He'd noticed the woman checking him out, but it was obvious she and the man were together.

"At the risk of sounding stupid, we're here for a tree," Arthur replied. _Shouldn't it be obvious?_

"Of course. I'm Merlin and my mother and I run the farm. Do you know what kind you're looking for?"

Morgana elbowed Arthur to get him out of the way. "I'm Morgana. Normally we get a white pine, but we're open to suggestion. We just want the perfect tree."

Arthur wanted to roll his eyes again, but refrained. "I'm Arthur. What my sister means is, we want the perfect tree for _us_. And our father."

"You've come to the right place," Merlin replied. _Sister, hmm?_ "Well, I'd be happy to show you our different varieties. Come." He beckoned to them and turned his back. They quickly caught up, one on either side.

They walked through the rows of trees, Merlin explaining the advantages of the different varieties. At one point they ran into a petite, dark-skinned woman who smiled up at them. _Whoa!_ Arthur thought. _Now_ she _was worth the trip_.

"Hello, Gwen," Merlin said. He couldn't help but notice the interest Arthur had taken in his friend.

"Hey, Merlin." Her eyes seemed to be drawn to Arthur too. _Hmm_. But she was busy showing a small family around and only had time to toss off a "see you later" before walking briskly after the excitable kids.

They continued their tour of the farm. Morgana and Merlin's chatter had settled into flirting by now, but Arthur could only think of the beautiful Gwen. He _had_ to talk to her before they left, or at least get her number. He was so involved in his daydreams he almost missed it when Morgana stopped Merlin and shrieked. "That's it!"

Arthur broke off his train of thought and looked at the tree Morgana was pointing at. It seemed to form a flawless triangle—perfectly symmetrical branches all the way to the top. "It does look rather pretty," he commented.

Merlin smiled. "Ah, a blue spruce. This one grew very nicely. Can I carry it to your car for you?"

" _His_ car," Morgana pointed at Arthur. "He's got the SUV."

Arthur groaned. _Of course_. "This way," he thumbed toward his vehicle, "can I help you?"

"I can get—"

"No, let me." He got his gloves out of his pockets and put them on.

"Okay," Merlin smiled and held the top of the tree while Arthur picked up the bottom. Together they manhandled it all the way to the SUV. Merlin produced rope and they tied it down securely on top since the SUV wasn't big enough for it to go inside.

When they finished, Arthur walked with Merlin over to the table where an older woman sat with a cash register. "So, you like my sister, huh?"

Merlin blushed. "She seems very charming."

"And determined. You should definitely exchange numbers."

Merlin looked surprised. "Shouldn't you be warning me away?"

Arthur laughed. "Probably. But you seem like a really nice guy. It's been a while since she's had one of those in her life."

"O-okay." He appeared to think for a moment. "I noticed you noticing Gwen too."

"Is she off limits?"

"Luckily for you, no. She's between boyfriends right now, so you have a shot."

"Really? Thanks man."

"Don't mention it. Really." He looked serious for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Arthur was too happy to care. At that moment, they'd arrived at the register. Morgana was there waiting, along with the small family and Gwen. "Hi, I'm Arthur," he said to the gorgeous girl. He noticed Merlin had gone back to chatting with Morgana.

"Gwen. But you already know that." She gave him the most gorgeous smile.

"Would you . . . would you be interested in maybe getting coffee sometime?"

Gwen smiled even brighter. "Yes, absolutely."

They swapped numbers while Morgana negotiated with the woman at the register, who looked like she might be Merlin's mother. Just then the small family left and a couple of newer customers caught Gwen's eye. "I've got to go, but I'll call you later?"

"Looking forward to it." Arthur turned to see Morgana kiss Merlin on the cheek and thank him for all the help. Merlin blushed then waved as Morgana joined Arthur in walking back to their cars.

"Well I know _I'm_ glad we came here. What about you?" Morgana queried.

"Yeah, I think so." He smiled.

They parted to head to their cars and drive home. And both had huge smiles on their faces all the way there.

oo0Ô0oo

Merlin caught up to Gwen during a temporary lull in business. "Aren't you glad you came today?"

"And you! Looks like we both got lucky."

"Just let me know if he hurts you and I'll go pound his door down."

She laughed. "You would, wouldn't you?"

"I don't think you have to worry though—he seems like a good guy."

"Well, I've learned to trust your instincts." She spotted several new people approaching. "Uh oh, time to get back to work. They headed to the front of the lot together.

oo0Ô0oo

Uther woke and came downstairs to find his two children engaged in setting up a very lovely blue spruce in the family room. They were friendly-bickering as usual and Uther reveled in the scene for a moment before they noticed him.

"Dad!" Morgana ran over and kissed his cheek. She took his arm and led him to the couch where she gently pushed him down. "You should be resting still."

"How can I sleep with you two chattering like squirrels?" Uther commented.

"Hey!" Arthur said, faking offense. "How are you feeling?"

"Rested. I can't stay in bed all day you know." His children laughed.

A few minutes Arthur went to get the tree ornaments from the attic. Morgana stayed to fuss over her father and Uther rolled his eyes good-naturedly at her. They spent the rest of the afternoon together, decorating the tree and other parts of the big house. And if his progeny snatched their phones up anytime they made the slightest noise, he didn't say anything about it. He figured they'd gotten more than Christmas presents on their shopping trips.

* * *

 **WDYT? This one just came out of me in one shot. :) Next one may take a few days, but it will come! :)**


	2. Ice Queen

**OK this one's a one-shot instead of a drabble, so it's long (sorry scrollers!) Enjoy!**

* * *

Merlin watched the Ice Queen walk past his desk on the way to her office. And like every day, she was frowning. But there seemed to be something a bit more personal about this frown. In fact, it seemed more like a scowl. What could cause Morgana Pendragon to scowl?

Once Morgana was in her office, door closed, Merlin sauntered over to her PA. Gwen was probably the kindest, most compassionate person he'd ever met. She'd helped him through the growing pains of his new job as Arthur Pendragon's PA. It had been only a few months, but he already felt like he'd been working here forever. "Gwen, am I imagining things or is Morgana frostier than normal today?"

"What's the date?" she replied.

"November twentieth."

"Ohhhh."

"'Ohhhh' what?"

"You haven't been here long enough to know this, but both her parents died in December. Her mother, when she was five and her father when she was ten. They both really loved this time of year and made it a big thing for her every year. And ever since they passed, she can't stand the holidays."

"Ouch."

"She doesn't celebrate at all—no parties, no decorations. And she always books a trip to the Caribbean for two weeks over Christmas and New Year's."

"Wow. That's pretty extreme. Does she get upset by everything holiday-ish going on around her?"

"No."

"That's good, at least. Has anyone ever tried to—?"

"No, and I don't advise it. You think she's frosty now, just wait until you try that."

A light came into Merlin's eyes. "She hasn't met _my_ brand of holiday cheer."

Gwen took one look at Merlin's face and started shaking her head. "You really shouldn't."

"I like a challenge."

"Hm, that's true. You've survived Arthur so far."

"Hey!"

Just then, Merlin's boss stuck his head out his office door. When he didn't immediately see his PA, he yelled Merlin's name. Merlin rolled his eyes and walked over to see what Arthur wanted. Gwen smiled in fondness. If anyone could change Morgana's mind about Christmas, it was Merlin. There was just something about him that made her think he could do it.

oo0Ô0oo

The next morning, Merlin walked into work with several carrier bags hanging on his arms and two small pots of poinsettias in either hand. Gwen's eyes widened in surprise when she saw him and she jumped up to take the flowers from him. She set them on his desk then turned to her friend. "Aren't you a little early?" she queried.

"Are you kidding? Haven't you been shopping in the past couple of months?"

Gwen shook her head and chuckled. "Okay, okay. You've proved your point. What's all this?" She pointed to the bags.

"Decorations." He handed her one of the poinsettia plants. "This one's yours."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I've got the makings of paper chains, beaded candy canes . . ."

Morgana walked into their anteroom then, wearing the same scowl as the day before. She paused by Merlin's desk and gave him _the look_ , which he'd seen her use when displeased, then walked away.

He shuddered. "Did the temperature just drop in here?"

"I told you . . ."

"I'm not giving up yet." He rummaged around in his bags and pulled out two pairs of scissors. From another he pulled out two packs of construction paper. "Here, let's make these while we have a few minutes. We'll hang them on our desks when we're done. Brighten up the place a bit."

Gwen accepted the scissors and paper Merlin handed her. She still thought he was nuts, but she was willing to help him. Besides, if he really could bring out Morgana's holiday spirit, the whole building would breathe a sigh of relief. Morgana's real problem was she hadn't ever grieved the deaths of her parents. Once she did that, anything was possible.

"Hey Gwen, does Morgana date?" Or maybe not.

oo0Ô0oo

Merlin's plan was working well. It was Friday morning and Morgana hadn't scowled at him. She hadn't smiled, but she hadn't scowled. It was a small step in the right direction. True, he had a teeny tiny crush on her, but he genuinely wanted to see her happy. And that's exactly why he was going to ask her out for drinks tonight.

The little pub he had in mind was run by one of the most infectiously gregarious men he knew—Gwaine. And Gwaine loved Christmas and dressed the pub, Camelot, accordingly. He hoped she'd say "yes" and he was optimistic—he'd noticed her noticing _him_ more than once, but would she overlook the fact that they were coworkers? Because Gwaine would definitely have the Christmas spirit going on in the pub and she wouldn't be able to resist.

He used his lunch break as an opportunity to knock on her door. The coffee he held was a pretense to get him in so he could talk to her. Gwen was conveniently "away" so Morgana wouldn't be distracted. "Come in," she said and he let himself into the room.

"Coffee, Miss Pendragon?"

"Thank you, Merlin. Where's Gwen?"

"She had to step away for a moment and asked me to bring this to you." He moved to her desk and sat the cup down. She thanked him but he stood there, hoping to catch her attention. When he didn't, he spoke up again. "Miss Pendragon—Morgana?"

She looked up at him in puzzlement. "Yes, is there something I can do for you?"

"Actually, yes. Excuse me for being forward, but I wanted to ask you if you'd go out with me? Just for drinks. You seem like you've had a rough week and I know this great little place."

"You're asking me?"

"Yes, Gwen's busy and Arthur's, well, Arthur—"

"Yes."

"Yes? Wow, great! I know this great little place called Camelot."

"I know it." She smiled up at him and he melted a little inside.

"Fantastic. So shall I meet you there at nine then?"

"It's a date."

"See you later then."

"Bye, Merlin." She gave him a little wave.

Merlin skipped back to his desk. Gwen stuck her head out of the ladies' room. "Did it work?"

"It worked!"

"Congrats, Merlin! And good luck. I hope it goes well."

"Me too."

oo0Ô0oo

Merlin walked into Camelot at eight forty-five. He saw Gwaine behind the bar and went directly there. "Merlin!" Gwaine yelled and held out his arm. Merlin took it and they clapped each other on the back.

"Listen, Gwaine," I'm meeting a special lady here tonight." Gwaine's eyebrow quirked in interest. "She's not too fond of Christmas and I'm trying to bring her 'round. You think you could be charming for once? Just for me?"

"For you, anything. You know that."

"Thanks Gwaine."

"Anytime." He moved away to serve another customer.

Merlin settled on the stool and turned around to face the room at large. Lighted garlands decorated the ceiling and supporting beams. There were shiny baubles on some and candy canes on others. Bowls of them decorated the tables. The bar itself was decorated as well and a jazzy Christmas tune played in the background. It was perfect, and if he could get her mellow enough . . . well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Five minutes later, she walked in the door. She frowned a bit when she saw the décor, but when their eyes met, she smiled. He got up and moved over to her. "Hey," he said.

"Hey."

He gestured over to the bar and said, "Shall we?"

She smiled and took his arm. They walked over to the bar where Gwaine met them. True to form, he turned on the charm and made Morgana laugh. They took their drinks over to a small table with two chairs and talked. She told him a little about her family, how Arthur's father had taken her in and adopted her. He told her about his mother and how his father had died. She was surprised to hear it, but did put her hand on his in sympathy.

They refreshed their drinks now and then, moving subtly closer each time. He even got her to laugh a few times, but still a deep sadness lingered in her eyes. At one am, she checked her watch and joked she'd better leave before she turned into a pumpkin. He walked her outside.

"So, I've had a good time," he said.

"Me too," she replied, a little shy.

This intrigued him—the Ice Queen, being shy? "Listen, I know you're not big into Christmas, but I have a tradition. Every year I bake loads of biscuits and package them up to give to friends. Would you be willing to help me?"

"When?"

"Well, I'm busy the rest of this weekend—Arthur's a slave driver and I'm helping Gwen with something. But next Saturday I'm free."

She looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, "Okay."

"Great! I mean, thank you. It'll be so much easier with you helping."

"I can't say 'no' to free biscuits."

He smiled. "Um, is it okay to hug you?"

"Yeah," she said a little uncertainly.

"You sure?"

"Yes. It's okay. Come here." She opened her arms and he stepped into them for a quick embrace. "Thanks for inviting me, Merlin. It really was nice after a stressful week."

"Anytime. Well, I'm this way." He pointed north.

"And I'm this way." She pointed south. "Bye, Merlin. See you Monday."

"Monday then." With a little wave, she was off.

Merlin, for his part, floated all the way home.

oo0Ô0oo

Monday morning when Morgana walked by Merlin's desk, she gave him a small smile. Gwen noticed. "Looks like you made progress. What did you say to her?"

"Oh, I just met her at Camelot," he replied.

"Oooh, I love that place! Gwaine is sooo . . . and he decorates the place like mad for Christmas."

"Exactly. And we just talked about our families, mostly. She may act like she can't stand Arthur, but she really cares about him, you know?"

"Yeah, I thought so."

"And she's going to help me with my annual baking this weekend."

"Well, you sly thing you!"

"She told me she likes biscuits."

"I didn't know that."

"You learn something new every day."

"Apparently." And with that they got on with their workday.

The next night, Merlin received a phone call from his mother. And that call sparked an idea that he discussed with her and she got excited about. It was something that fit with the spirit of Christmas. And if it worked out the way he thought it could, several people would benefit.

Wednesday morning he took the idea to Arthur. He waited until he knew Arthur wasn't busy (his boss took a midmorning solitaire break) and knocked on his door. "What is it?" Arthur yelled. He was hardly ever as polite as his sister.

Merlin let himself in. "Arthur, can I talk to you about something?" The man gave him a "go ahead" gesture. "Okay, so my mother volunteers at a homeless shelter here in the city. This time of year gets quite busy for them, as you can imagine."

"Unfortunately, yes," his boss replied.

"I was wondering . . . this company has quite a few employees, who seem quite generous. Would the company be willing to sponsor a clothing and toy drive for the holidays? I'd run the whole thing, obviously, so neither you nor father would have to be involved. I think it would look good for the company's image and it would benefit so many . . ."

"Merlin."

"Yes, Arthur?"

"You're rambling. But I think it's a good idea. I'll speak to my father though, as it needs his approval."

"Shut _up_. Really?"

Arthur quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're so odd. But, yeah, really. Let me talk to him and I'll hopefully have an answer for you by the end of the day."

Merlin grinned. "Thank you so much! You won't regret it."

"I'm sure I won't." He shook his head fondly and turned back to his computer screen, which Merlin took for a dismissal, so he left.

Near the end of the day, Arthur called Merlin back into his office. "Father gave his approval for your project. Just minimize the use of company resources, okay?"

"Thank you! Actually, I wanted to ask Morgana if she'd co-lead the project with me. Would that be okay?"

"I don't see a problem with it, as long as she agrees, of course." He got a sly look on his face. "Morgana, huh? You know she hates this time of year, right?"

"Oh yeah, Gwen made that pretty clear."

"Didn't you get Morgana to go out with you the other night?"

Merlin flushed. "Who told you that?"

"Gwen."

Now Merlin went sly. "Gwen, huh? Why were you talking to her?"

It was Arthur's turn to flush. "Well, you weren't here yet and I needed something done . . ."

"Sure, Arthur. Whatever helps you sleep better at night."

"You—you . . . go do some work already," Arthur ordered. But he was fighting a smile.

"Have a good night, boss." Merlin left Arthur's office and went back to his desk. He turned to Gwen and said, "He said yes!"

"Great! Now go ask Morgana."

"Oh yeah. Right. You think this will work?"

"She hasn't done much for charity beyond writing the odd check, but if anyone can convince her to do this, it's you."

"Thanks. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck."

Merlin got up and headed to Morgana's office. She saw him through her window and waved him in. She looked so sober and business-like, but gave him a little smile. "I understand you have a proposal for me?"

He flushed a little. "How did you . . . oh, Arthur." He cleared his throat. "So, yeah, I wanted to ask you something." He explained the project in general terms for her then clarified when she had specific questions.

"So we'd collect the donations and take them to the shelter?"

"Basically, yeah." He thought for a moment. "Look, I have to call my mum and work out some details, but I can tell you more when you come over on Saturday?"

"Yes, that would be good."

"The project or coming to mine?"

"Both." She smiled again. "I'm looking forward to Saturday."

"Me too. You got my text message?"

"Yep. Should I bring anything?"

"Just an apron."

"All right. See you later."

oo0Ô0oo

Saturday didn't arrive soon enough for Merlin. He'd been building up his supply of baking goods and had gone out Friday after work for a few perishable items. But Saturday morning he was ready and waiting for Morgana to show at nine.

His doorbell rang at exactly nine and he opened it to see Morgana looking way too gorgeous to be doing something mundane like baking biscuits. He invited her in and explained all the different biscuits they'd be making. Of course she was free to leave whenever she'd felt like she'd done enough. But she just smiled and told him she was in for the long hall, as long as she got some herself.

They put their aprons on and got to work. Merlin had to help her with the basics—growing up in the Pendragon household meant you hardly had to do anything for yourself. Especially cooking and baking. He showed her how to stir together dry ingredients before adding the wet. He demonstrated how to scoop up the right amount of dough to drop on the pans. But her favorite was cutting out the sugar ones with Christmas-themed cutters.

Several times Merlin caught himself watching her. She seemed to take genuine delight in getting "messy" with all the things she's never done before. At one point she got a bit of flour on her nose and he had to restrain himself from kissing it off. Instead he handed her a towel.

She smiled up at him when he let her take the first pan out of the oven. The sight nearly took his breath away. When he had a minute to think about it, he realized he was falling for her. Somehow getting her to love Christmas had turned into keeping her close. And he couldn't regret it for an instant. Seeing her like this, taking joy in something so simple . . . well, he couldn't deny her anything.

While the cookies baked, he explained more about the clothing and toy drive. They'd set up boxes near the elevators on each floor. Signs on the boxes would explain what they were for. She'd send out inter-office e-mail reminders and felt positive they'd get a good response. She even offered to store the collected items at her flat.

By the end of the day, every stable horizontal surface was covered in baked goods. Merlin and Morgana had flopped onto his sofa, exhausted. "That was . . ." she started.

"Yeah," Merlin replied. It had been a very long but productive day. Morgana had become a baking pro; mixing and icing like a champion. He was impressed by her more now and really, really wanted to kiss her. But that wouldn't be appropriate.

She looked at him with a fond smile on her face. "Thank you for inviting me. I had a really great time."

"You're welcome. Now you that you can bake biscuits like an expert, you should do some on your own."

Her eyes lit up. "I think I will!"

He stared into her eyes, looking for an invitation. When he thought he saw it, he leaned closer. But she backed away at the last second. "Sorry, I just thought . . ."

"Don't worry about it. I've got to get home. Strangely enough, I'm exhausted." She chuckled and he joined in. After a moment, she got up, took off her apron and went for her purse.

"Don't forget your box!" Merlin had bought a few cut Christmas-themed goodie boxes to put the biscuits in. He jumped up and ran over to the chair he'd set her box on.

"Oh! Thanks!" He handed over the box; their hands brushed and he shivered a bit.

"Have a good night," he commented.

"I will." She looked at him for a moment before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Merlin."

He walked her to the door and she left. When her footsteps had faded, he walked back to the sofa and flopped down on it again. He couldn't believe he'd done such a dumb thing as almost kissing her. At least she hadn't seemed offended and had laughed it off. He wondered how she was feeling about Christmas now, and if it was too early to ask her to the company's Christmas party. Until then they'd at least be working on the shelter project together. He'd have to think of another activity they could do together to help her Christmas spirit.

oo0Ô0oo

Monday morning, Morgana waved at Merlin when she passed his desk. Merlin smiled back. Gwen saw the whole thing and was taken aback. "What have you done to the Ice Queen?" she asked as soon as her boss closed her door.

"Me? Nothing in particular. We spent all Saturday at mine baking biscuits to give away. Speaking of that," he dug around in his bag, "here are yours." He handed Gwen a box.

"Seriously? Thank you!"

"Do you think Arthur would like some?"

"Are you kidding me?" She leaned closer to whisper. "He gained a bit of weight last year because of those things." They both giggled a little at that.

"Okay. I'll take them to him now." Merlin went to his boss's office and was waved inside. Arthur did indeed like biscuits—Merlin noticed him try to hide his excitement. He just grinned. This time of year was showing him a new side to his boss.

A little while later, he came back to his desk and got back to work. Sometime before lunch, Merlin had an idea and turned to Gwen. "Does Morgana like shopping?"

"Are you kidding me? Have you _seen_ her wardrobe?"

"So she doesn't get you to shop for her. She has very good taste."

"Definitely."

"She must avoid the Christmas shopping crowds."

"Not really. If she likes something, she just goes for it. Why do you ask?"

"I'm thinking of inviting her to go Christmas shopping with me. I'm still pretty new here and don't know my way around. She obviously knows where to shop and can help me choose."

"I don't know about that . . ."

"Do you want a Christmas present or not?" He laughed at the expression on her face. She rolled her chair closer and smacked his arm. "Ow. I deserved that."

"Yes you did. Now get back to work."

"Yes mum." He got back to work.

At the end of the workday, Merlin waited for Morgana to come out of her office. "Miss Pendragon," he said to get her attention.

"Yes, Merlin?" She sounded a bit cooler than she'd been Saturday, but it _was_ the office.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure." She gave him a little smile and walked over to the small kitchenette, out of Gwen's hearing. Not that it mattered that much—the woman had the hearing of a Vulcan.

Merlin got up and followed her. "I was wondering if you had time to help me with something."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "More baking?"

"No. Actually, I need to shop. You know, for presents. I'm still pretty new here and don't know the good places to go. Plus, you seem to have really good taste." He gestured at her outfit, which looked like it cost more than his monthly salary.

"Gwen won't help you?"

He laughed at that. "Actually, I'd like the chance to spend more time with you, if you don't mind."

She smiled at that. "I like you too. So when do you want to go?"

"Friday afternoon? Arthur's given me permission to leave early. I kind of want to get it all over with early on. If I don't I'll procrastinate until Christmas Eve, trust me."

She chuckled a little at that. "All right. I'll do it for you."

"Thank you, Morgana. I appreciate everything you're doing for me."

"It's my pleasure. I mean it." She winked and resumed her course to the elevator where she waited to get on.

Merlin somehow made it back to his desk to close out his day. Gwen just smirked at him.

oo0Ô0oo

Friday morning, Morgana walked past Merlin's desk looking especially gorgeous. She smiled at him as his eyes followed her all the way to her door. Gwen's voice broke him out of his stupor. "Boy, you've got it bad, don't you?"

"Huh? Hm, oh. Ah . . ."

"It's okay, Merlin. You're not the first. She usually keeps herself distant to interested men, but you're different. You must be getting through to her."

"I hope so. Do you think she'd go to the Christmas party with me?"

"Um . . . maybe."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"No! I mean, I think you stand a better chance of her accepting you than anyone else. She just doesn't attend the Christmas party."

"We'll see." He smirked.

At about two pm, Merlin turned off his computer and looked up at the sound of Morgana's office door opening. "Hey," she told him.

"Hi! Ready to show me the town?" he replied.

"Of course." She turned to her PA. "Gwen. You can leave you know."

"Oh! Um, thanks Morgana. I figured I'd wrap up a few things first—"

"Gwen. Go home."

"Of course." Gwen began putting her desk in order. "See you two later."

Morgana and Merlin chuckled as they walked to the elevator. As soon as they made it to parking, Morgana led the way to her car. They left, heading for the shopping district.

She parked in a place in the middle of the shopping district and pointed to all the different stores around. Merlin was amazed—in a place like this he'd have no idea where to start. Morgana asked him who he was shopping for and what they liked, and was able to direct him from there.

They visited clothing stores, a bookshop, an antiques store, a jewelry store and many more. By the time they'd finished, Merlin was quite a bit poorer and it was close to dinnertime. When she offered to buy him dinner, he initially refused. He didn't want her to pay. But she insisted and they stopped in a little Indian place she knew well and got curry.

The food was delicious and he thanked her profusely. As they left, she let him take her hand. He shivered at her touch—it sparked a warmth in him that went down to his toes. She seemed to sense that and turned to smile at him.

On their way back to the car park, they heard singing in the distance. In front of one of the larger shops was a small choir singing Christmas carols. Morgana looked a little uncertain, but agreed to stop when Merlin asked if they could. At one point, they sang his favorite, "What Child Is This?" He closed his eyes to enjoy it, like he did with all beautiful music, but felt Morgana's hold on his hand slacken. He opened his eyes again and found her trembling. A tear ran down her face, and just as he was about to say something, she said, "I'm sorry." She dropped his hand and took off running in the direction of her car.

"Morgana, wait!" he called, but she didn't stop or even slow. He started running after her but only caught up when he got to her car. She sat inside, wiping tears from her face. He got in on the passenger side and scooted close to her. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

She shook her head at first, refusing to talk. He took her closest hand and squeezed it. "Please tell me. I-I care about you and want to help, if I can."

"Oh Merlin, that was my mother's favorite song before she—before I lost her."

"I'm so sorry, Morgana, if I'd known I wouldn't have asked to listen."

"You didn't know." Her eyes welled up with tears again. "I miss her _so_ much this time of year."

"I know." She looked up at him. "Gwen told me a little."

"Oh." The tears in her eyes spilled over and she tried to hold back a sob, but it didn't work. She began sobbing lightly.

"There, there. Can I—can I hold you?" She nodded so he moved as close as he could get to her and put his arms around her the best he could. Her body shook with the sobs while he murmured the most comforting words he could think of. It felt a bit awkward, since he hadn't done this much before, but it seemed to work and her sobs gradually stopped.

She looked up at him. "I'm so sorry."

"No, don't ever be sorry for something like that. I think you've been needing that for years."

"What do you mean?"

"You've never really mourned your parents, have you?"

She thought for a moment. "No, I guess not." She buried her head in his neck again. "Thank you."

"Anytime." When her head came up again, he laid a hand to the side of her face. "I mean it." She smiled, her eyes darting down to look at his lips. "Wha—" was all he got to say before she pressed her lips to his for a brief but tender kiss.

The surprised look on his face was priceless. She didn't give him any chance to speak when she surged forward to kiss him again, this time holding onto his shoulders. His brain woke him enough to press back against her lips—it felt like an electric shock. "Mmm," she said when they broke apart.

"Well that was unexpected."

"I've been wanting to see how that felt since we started working together."

"You have? But what about last week?"

"Last week I wasn't sure what I wanted. Now I am." She gave him the most gorgeous smile, which he just had to kiss away for a long moment.

He took her hands in his. "Go to the Christmas party with me."

"What? I—"

"I know all about why you don't like the holidays. I understand, believe me. You know all about my family history. But please, please come with me. I promise to make it worth your while, to make Christmas mean something to you again."

Her eyes watered again. "You'd do that?"

He laughed. "Of course! What do you think I've been trying to do with all these dates—besides fall even harder for you?"

She blinked the tears from her eyes. "Oh, is that what you've been doing?" He thought she was upset until he saw her smile. "You're falling for me? The 'Ice Queen'?"

"Morgana, even an ice queen has a heart. I knew yours had been hurt badly and all I wanted was to make it better." He gave her a cheesy smile.

She kissed the smile from his face. "Of course you did!" Just then she shivered. She started up the car and turned the heat all the way up. "Now, you're going to invite me to yours for coffee. Then we'll discuss your evil plan. And if I like what I hear, maybe we'll cuddle on the sofa." She gave him a quick kiss before putting the car in gear and motoring them away to his flat.

They did end up cuddling on his sofa. Morgana laughed more times that night than Merlin had ever thought possible before he put his plan into action. And she agreed to go to the next week's Christmas party with him. But the biggest surprise of all was when she told him she was cancelling her trip to the Caribbean. She was going to try Christmas with Arthur and Uther for once, saying they deserved a chance to make it a good Christmas too.

oo0Ô0oo

The company party was billed as semi-formal. Merlin dressed in his best suit and went to pick up Morgana from her flat. When she opened her door to him, he was stunned into immobility. She'd chosen an emerald-green silk halter dress that clung to her curves. Her hair was swept up off her neck, with a few tendrils escaping to hang by her ears. In the background, Gwen smirked and said, "Close your mouth and get going, Merlin."

Morgana just took his arm and swept him away. They ran into Arthur on their way down to Merlin's car. He looked as surprised to see them together as Merlin was to see him. Morgana just smirked and continued leading Merlin to the elevator. _This is going to be a fabulous night_ , he thought.

Morgana stayed near him all night. Several people looked stunned to see them together, but they just smiled their way through the looks. Merlin had never enjoyed a formal party more. But what truly made it special was when he walked her to her door. She invited him in and whispered, "We're all alone tonight."

She handed him a box, which he barely looked at before pulling her too him for a deep, involved kiss. Suffice it to say, the box remained unopened all night long.

* * *

 **Would love to hear what you think! Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Love for Christmas

**Sorry for the mini-hiatus- I had surgery about a week ago and have been recovering. But now this 5K+ story is ready! Be prepared for some tooth-rotting Christmas-y Mergana fluff! :)**

* * *

Morgana sighed as she closed the door behind her. How was it fair that she got such a terrible grade on her paper when she'd worked for _days_ on it? And with finals coming soon she'd have little time to rewrite it for a better grade. Add that to the stress of living through the holidays without her mother and life was looking pretty bleak.

She moved further into the flat, dumping her bags on the way. Heedless of what might be in her way, she trudged over to the sofa. "Hey, Morgana," a voice called up to her.

She looked down to see Merlin, her brother's best friend, sitting just over from where she was going to drop herself. "Oh hi, Merlin. Didn't see you there."

"I could tell. Something bothering you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Aside from the fact you nearly sat on me?"

"Good point."

Her brother, Arthur, entered the room then. He had two mugs in his hand. "Oh hey, Morgana. What's up?"

Merlin quirked his eyebrow at her as if to say, _See what I mean?_ Morgana just rolled her eyes and sat further down on the sofa (not on Merlin). "Oh, you know, class. Christmas without my mum. A horrible grade on my term paper."

"Oh, Morgana. The one you _slaved_ over?" He handed her the mug. "You look like you need this worse than I do." He looked into her face. "Unless you need something stronger?" She nodded; he took the mug back. "Stronger it is." He handed the mug to Merlin and went back into the kitchen.

Merlin reached over to put his hand on hers. "I'm so sorry. Professor Edwin's class?" She nodded. "I had that class last year, remember all the whining I did?"

"Ohh. Yes, yes I do."

"Don't let it ruin your holidays. If you like, I can look it over, explain where you went wrong."

"You have _time_ for that?"

"My semester's pretty light." Merlin was always doing things for others. His generosity had been known ever since she and Arthur had met him in primary school.

"Thank you, Merlin, you're fantastic."

"That's what I hear." He flashed his megawatt grin at her and she couldn't help but smile back. He really was fantastic and she'd have to think of a nice way to thank him.

oo0Ô0oo

Morgana had just sat down in the library to crack open the latest reading for her Modern Philosophy seminar when a hand touched her shoulder. "Ah!" she yelped.

Several people looked up or turned to glare. She simply turned to see who had startled her. It was Merlin and he seemed apologetic. "Sorry," he whispered. He pulled out the seat next to her and sat. After poking around in his bag, he pulled out a sheaf of papers. It turned out to be her paper, which he'd taken two days ago.

"You want to do this _now_? _Here_?" she whispered.

"Um . . ."

She packed up her things. "Come on, you can walk me back to mine."

He nodded and put the paper back in his bag and got up. He helped her up and together they walked out the door and into the December weather.

"You finished fast," she commented.

"Well, I didn't have much else to do."

"Okay, what's so wrong?"

He launched into her take on Kant- she _hated_ Kant -and explained how she'd taken his critique of Aristotle wrong. She explained how Kant was a supercilious German prick who'd taken Aristotle wrong. He totally agreed, but the professor hadn't. By the time they'd gotten to her and Arthur's flat, he had her convinced and she knew how to rewrite.

"You may as well come in," she said.

He just grinned and followed her inside, happy to be out of the cold. "Thank you."

"Would you like some hot chocolate?"

"Sure. That would be lovely."

She went into the kitchen to make the cocoa. While the milk was heating in the microwave, she peeked out into the living room. Merlin was pacing and appeared to be talking to himself. He looked quite agitated and she wondered what could be bothering him. But then the milk was done and she mixed in the cocoa.

By the time she got to the living room, Merlin had stopped pacing and sat on the sofa. She handed him a mug. "Something bothering you?" she queried. "You seem agitated."

He looked surprised but shook his head. "Nope."

"You sure?"

"Yep." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small bag of biscuits. "For you."

She smiled. "Thank you!"

"Anytime." He sipped his hot chocolate and gasped in pain. "Hot hot hot!"

She took his mug and sat it on the coffee table with hers. "You crazy?! Why do you think I sat mine to cool?"

"I burned my tongue."

"Let me see."

"No!"

" _Mer_ lin, stick out your tongue so I can see it."

"Fine." He stuck out his tongue.

She moved a little closer and she saw his eyes on her. "Hm, it is a bit red just there." She pointed and he hastily backed up until he hit the arm of the couch.

"Oh, okay. It's fine. I'll be fine." He snatched his coat up from behind him. "I'd, ah, better go. I just remembered I have this, um, thing to prepare for class tomorrow." He stood too fast and nearly stumbled over his feet. "I'll, um, see you later. Bye!"

He ran to the door, threw her a wave and left. She was quite puzzled by his behavior. He acted like he'd been bit by a snake instead of suffering a burnt tongue. She shook her head and sipped at her chocolate. Boys usually acted weird around her, but Merlin had always treated her like a sister. _Hmm_.

oo0Ô0oo

The next day, Morgana walked into the Camelot Café and trudged to a table in front of its main window. It had just started to snow outside and she wanted something hot to drink. She dumped her bag on the table and got in line. After she ordered, she went back to the table and pulled out her packet of Epistemology readings.

Soon her drink was brought to her and she was in the middle of her first sip when a knock on the window next to her startled her. She missed her lip and fortunately got only a few drops on her sweater. Through the glass, Merlin waved madly at her. She rolled her eyes and watched him walk to the door and enter.

He walked right over to her table and plopped himself on the other chair. "Hey," he said.

"You're paying my dry cleaning bill," she replied.

His eyes zeroed in on her stained sweater. "Oh sure. What are you having?"

"Latte."

His nose wrinkled. "Too milky." He stood and left to get in the queue.

While he waited, she pretended to read but really watched him. He seemed to be preoccupied with something and had to be asked twice for his order. When he turned to come back, she looked down at her book and pretended to read again.

Amazingly, he didn't start talking when he sat, but handed her a blueberry muffin. Her favorite. "Thank you!" He nodded and looked out the window. He tapped his fingers on the table. Eventually she couldn't take it anymore and asked, "Is something bothering you?"

"No, I'm just thinking about Christmas."

"What about it?"

"My mum's changed her plans. Now she's going to Ireland, to visit a man she met online. I could go, but . . ."

"You don't want to be in the way."

"Right. Talk about awkward . . ."

"So you'll be alone?"

"Yeah."

"How does that _not_ bother you? That would bother me."

His drink was brought over and he sipped it. "But Uther has you two. He's less likely to make a decision like my mum did."

"True." She thought for a moment. "Hey, here's a crazy idea . . ."

"That's your scheming face?"

"I have a scheming face? Hey, don't distract me."

"Sorry." But he didn't look sorry as he flashed his adorkable grin at her.

"You could come to our house. It's not like we don't have the room."

"Are you serious? But it's _Christmas_. I couldn't impose."

"Would you shut up? You've basically been part of the family for about fifteen years. It won't take much to convince Dad to let you come."

He put his hands over hers. "Thank you so much. You saved me from the worst Christmas ever . . ."

"Oh shut up." But she smiled and looked into his eyes. He _did_ look grateful, and something else. But he looked away before she could figure out what that was

They sipped at their drinks for a few minutes, until her phone buzzed. She looked down at it to see a text from Gwen. "Crap! I lost track of time and Gwen's waiting for me. Sorry, Merlin, I've got to go."

"Oops. See you later." He smiled and she smiled back.

"Ta-ta for now."

oo0Ô0oo

Two days later, Morgana emerged from the humanities building. She looked up at the snow-laden sky and sighed. Somehow she'd forgotten her beanie that morning and had gotten an earache from walking in the cold. And now she'd have snow to contend with.

Just as she sighed, a familiar voice called out her name from behind her. Merlin had just come out of the building, but she didn't remember him having class there the same time as her. "Hey," he said, before jogging over, sliding on a patch of ice on the way. He flailed for a moment before coming to a stop just before he'd have hit her. As it was, he merely grabbed onto her for balance. "Sorry."

She looked down at his hands, which he removed. "Always glad to aid a damsel in distress," she replied.

" _Hey_." He pretended to be offended.

"If the shoe fits . . ."

"Hmph."

"Why were you here anyway? You don't have class here today."

"I had to see a professor about something."

"Okay."

She turned to walk away, but he stopped her with a hand on the arm. "Where's your hat?"

"I don't know. I thought it was in my bag . . ." She watched as he pulled the beanie from his head and fitted it onto hers. "Um, thanks?"

"You need it worse than I do. I like aiding damsels in distress too."

"You sure about that? Your massive ears are going to freeze."

"Hey! I'll have you know girls find my ears adorable."

She smiled. "Yeah they do."

He grinned back at her and they walked together to the library where they chatted quietly until he had to leave for his next class. She waved goodbye with a smile on her face. _The season hasn't been that bad after all_.

oo0Ô0oo

Three days later, Morgana was at Avalon Books looking for Christmas presents. All of her friends and family loved books and Avalon was her favorite bookshop. She'd already found a new book on Arthurian lore for Arthur, who collected such things. She decided to head to the cooking section to find something for Gwen. Bur as she rounded the end of the aisle, she bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry . . . Merlin?"

It was indeed him. "Oh, hey, Morgana. Fancy seeing you here."

Morgana couldn't believe this. She seemed to be running into him everywhere—home, the library, the coffee shop, class, and here . . . "Are you stalking me?"

" _Stalking_ you? Noo, why would you think that?"

"You seem to turn up every place I've been the last few days."

"That's just coincidence."

"Is it?"

He rolled his eyes but was smiling. "Believe it or not, yes."

"You shopping for anyone in particular?"

"Um . . ." his eyes darted down to the book in her arms. "Arthur." He held up the same book she'd found. "Rats."

She laughed when she saw the one he held. "Come on, there's another in the same section he doesn't have yet."

He smiled and followed her back the way she'd come. After that, he tagged along with her to the cooking section—Gwen was a friend of his too. They chose different books for her and he asked about what Uther might like. For him, they went over to the history section and eventually selected books for him as well.

"Anyone else to choose for?" Morgana asked.

Merlin smiled shyly and shook his head. "Nope, I've already got your present."

"Okay then."

They paid for their books and walked toward the door together. "I live close . . . do you want to come by for a few minutes? Just to warm up? I can make hot chocolate, um, _warm_ chocolate," he said

They left the shop. "How's your tongue?"

"All better, see?" He stuck it out.

"I see. Yeah, I'll come over."

While they walked toward Merlin's flat, they talked about Christmas at the Pendragon house. Merlin kind of already knew, since Arthur and Morgana had told him about it before, but he'd never been a guest for Christmas.

When they reached the flat, they discovered Merlin's two flatmates missing, which was good. They were good guys but would tease him endlessly about having a girl over— _with_ her there. He sat her down in the living room and moved to the kitchen to prepare the _warm_ chocolate.

She got up and wandered the room, checking out the bookshelves full of books and DVDs. Typical stuff for guys, mostly, but there were a few books that weren't texts and some DVDs without gratuitous action. She smiled and thought those must be Merlin's. Oh, he was manly enough, but with philosophy for a study course, he was bound to be more thoughtful than average.

He reentered the room then, with two mugs in his hands. She noticed he'd put ice in once mug and nodded at it. "Yours?"

"Yeah." He gave her a rueful half-smile.

"Don't be embarrassed. Burning one's tongue can be traumatic."

"Ha-ha." He stuck said tongue out at her. "Be careful with yours—it doesn't have ice."

"Thanks."

They sat and talked about their finals for a few minutes. Then Morgana thought he might ask her if she'd help him wrap his presents, but he didn't. He did ask her if she wanted to study together one day, since he'd had most of the same courses she was taking now. She agreed; having him guide her on what to study would be immensely helpful.

They agreed to meet on the first study day at Morgana and Arthur's flat. The prat would be there too and make sure they took breaks now and then, since he liked to complain about his sister and friend being too serious about studying.

Morgana looked at the time on her phone and noticed it was now past dinner. Merlin tried to get her to stay, but she declined. She had things to do at home and was putting him off of his work too. So she waved "goodbye" and headed out the door.

oo0Ô0oo

The next few days passed in a whirl of classes, meetings and final assignments. She saw Merlin now and then across campus, sometimes with Arthur, sometimes not. They didn't always talk a lot, but he always made sure to ask how she was doing, was she missing her mum, that kind of thing. She couldn't figure out why he was being friendlier than normal, but finally decided that it was due to her mother's death. She'd died earlier in the year and this would be Morgana's first Christmas without her. He was the type of guy to remember something like that.

Finally their study day arrived. Merlin came over at 9 am to study and nick some breakfast. After that, the three of them settled onto the sofa and chairs in the living room. During the course of the day, they moved from there, to the floor, to the table, back to the floor.

First Merlin helped Morgana with the courses he'd already had. He pointed out several important things she hadn't considered. Things _not_ on the study guide she'd been given. In turn, she was able to help him consider things for his courses he hadn't thought of. And Arthur just studied—not only for his business courses, but them as well. And he smiled to himself.

They did remember to eat now and then, and took other short breaks. "All studying and no play makes for dull friends," Arthur would say, so they took Wii breaks too. And by 8 pm they declared themselves done for the day. After a Mario Kart binge, Merlin packed up his things and waved goodbye.

Arthur flopped himself down on the floor next to Morgana. "Well that was exhausting."

"Studying always is."

"Not what I was talking about."

"What then?"

"Chaperoning you two."

"Chaperoning? We didn't need a chaperone."

Arthur gave her an incredulous look. "You really don't see it, do you?"

"See what?"

Arthur stood up and began collecting dirty dishes from their various meals, muttering something that sounded like "can't see the nose on her face."

oo0Ô0oo

The next time they saw Merlin was the morning they were to leave for the Pendragon estate. Somehow they'd all survived finals and were now in that dizzy, post-stressed zone where everything is a relief- and no-one wanted to move. So when Merlin finally showed up at Morgana and Arthur's flat, they were only just barely ready themselves.

Soon all their things were loaded into Arthur's car and they were on their way. Morgana spent the two-hour long drive turned in the passenger seat to face Merlin in the back. But all three talked, joked and laughed together, though Morgana laughed the hardest when the joke was on her brother.

The two hours passed quickly and soon they made it to Pendragon House, which was really a mansion. George, the butler, met them at the door and escorted Merlin to his guest room, which was near Arthur's and Morgana's. And like everything in the mansion, it looked and felt opulent. As usual.

After he got settled he joined the other two down in the informal family room, where they always hung out at the mansion. They were in the middle of looking over the Christmas tree Uther had procured. It towered above them at about ten feet, so it fit with the vaulted ceilings. Uther came in a little later, with George behind him. Both carried large boxes—the ornaments. George put his down and left the room, only to re-enter with a stepladder.

"Welcome to Christmas with the Pendragons," Morgana said with a laugh.

"Well, get to it," Uther encouraged.

Arthur tackled the boxes and the three youngsters began circling the tree, ornaments in hand. Merlin marveled at the variety. There were expensive-looking glass balls alongside homemade pasta and paint affairs. In fact, he could chart Arthur and Morgana's growth by the pictures pasted on the cute little things. He somehow thought everything would have been chosen by a professional decorator, so he was pleasantly surprised.

After that, they relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, mostly watching holiday movies, although there may have been a snowball fight. Arthur denied participating and _heavily_ denied losing against Merlin and Morgana.

The days leading up to Christmas Eve passed much like the first. Arthur, Merlin and Morgana ate all meals with Uther, who wasn't as intimidating as Merlin remembered. They'd watch holiday movies, bake treats or play out in the snow. They did go out to the nearby town too, sometimes shopping, sometimes just to enjoy the sights.

So by evening on Christmas Eve, the three young people were ready for some serious business. The Pendragon Christmas dinner was always semi-formal. Morgana had bought a slim-fitting emerald green mermaid dress with no sleeves. She wore her hair in a sort of half braid draping down over one shoulder. She looked great and she knew it as she stepped out of her room to see the two boys standing there.

Arthur looked surprised for a moment before he walked over to give her a kiss on the cheek. "You look great, sis," he told her.

Merlin gave her a quick once-over before smiling slowly. "You look wonderful," he said.

For some reason, that made Morgana shiver. "Thank you. You clean up pretty well too."

He wore a charcoal suit with a navy blue shirt and dark tie. The outfit highlighted his eyes and sharp cheekbones well. The whole effect was rather _yum_. "Shall we?" he asked, holding out his arm to Morgana.

"Yes, let's."

Arthur looked mildly surprised as Morgana took his friend's arm and led the way downstairs to the formal dining room. The room looked like a mini winter wonderland, which didn't detract from the meal at all.

The four diners settled into excited chatter. Uther asked Merlin about school and his plans for afterward, which turned into a friendly discussion of school and career goals for everyone. By the time dessert rolled around, the philosophy majors found themselves jousting against the business majors, and winning.

The whole time, Morgana had a hard time taking her eyes off Merlin. Something just seemed different about him that night. She didn't think it was because he looked great, though he did. It wasn't even that she'd caught him looking back at her more than a few times either. He just . . . _felt_ different.

As they finished, Morgana reminded everyone to meet in the family room to participate in their tradition of opening a present before bed. Arthur and Uther just laughed while Merlin looked puzzled. When he asked why they laughed, Morgana replied, "Because traditional dress for this is pyjamas."

"Oh," he said, then started chuckling. He offered his arm to Morgana again and escorted her back upstairs with Arthur. They separated to change into their pyjamas and get ready for bed.

Morgana changed her clothes then sat on her bed to think. She thought about what had preoccupied her at dinner—Merlin. And now that she thought about it, had it really been _just_ since dinner? Hadn't he been niggling her before that? All month? She'd joked that he'd been stalking her, but what if it had been something else? What if he had a different reason? Arthur had said he was chaperoning, did that mean Merlin . . . _oh boy_.

She'd known him so long and he was like a second brother to her. How did she not see this? Her courses were all about observing human nature and she'd missed this. But then again, she'd been preoccupied by her mother's death and . . . oh. She was an idiot.

Now the question was, how did she feel about him? He was sweet, kind, loyal, generous, and gorgeous besides. What wasn't to like? And he's been there for her, cheering her up . . . maybe, just, maybe . . .

She smiled and pulled a package from a shopping bag. Running into Merlin at the bookstore had meant she couldn't purchase something for him there. So she'd gone out here and found a book she knew he'd love. But just maybe she'd give him something else he wanted too.

Morgana left her room after that, heading back down to the family room. She had to wait a little while for the boys and Uther to come down, but not long. They all sat down in front of the tree and the packages waiting under it.

"Arthur, explain the rules," Uther said.

"Okay _Mer_ lin, here's how it is. You get to pick one with your name on it and open it tonight. The rest we save until after breakfast tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," Merlin replied. He flashed a smile at Morgana, which she now realized was one he reserved just for her.

"Guest goes first," she told him.

Merlin picked a square package from under the tree. "Hmm, from the prat." Uther chuckled. He unwrapped it to find a gorgeous, black-leather watch. "I don't even want to know how much this cost."

"No, you don't," Arthur replied. "Okay Dad, your turn."

Uther picked his present from Morgana and fussed over it quite a bit. He thanked her with a kiss on the cheek, which surprised Morgana. He wasn't usually demonstrative.

"Arthur, hurry up," she told her brother.

Arthur chose his present from Uther, which turned out to be a bright red sweater with the Pendragon coat of arms embroidered near the shoulder—a golden dragon. Morgana had to admit the old man had taste.

Finally, _finally_ Morgana got her turn. She picked up a box that was small, flat and from Merlin. _Hmmm_. She tore off the wrapping and found a jewelry box. She looked up at Merlin and found him wearing that same soft smile. She lifted the lid to find a heart-shaped pendant made out of a beautifully cut green stone—an emerald. It was attached to a delicate gold chain. She gasped and looked up at Merlin.

"It's your birthstone . . ." he started.

She crawled over to him and threw her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear. She felt him shiver just before she pulled away. Uther and Arthur just stared at her. "What? I really like it." Merlin smiled that soft smile at her again and that's when she knew. She knew absolutely that she was in love with him, and if she had her way, he'd know before the night was through.

They stayed and chatted around the tree for several more minutes, admiring each other's gifts and other nonsense. After a few more minutes, Merlin excused himself. Morgana watched him walk not toward the staircase, but the front door. She excused herself and walked away in the same direction Merlin had. She didn't see the look the two men exchanged or she might have stayed to yell at them.

By the time Morgana stole out into the hall, Merlin had dressed himself in his coat and boots. He then opened the door and stepped outside without seeing her behind him.

She hurried over to the coat closet and donned her coat and boots. When she finished, she opened the door quietly and stepped outside, closing it behind her. Merlin stood there a few steps in front of her, staring out at the snow-covered landscape. But he turned when he heard the door close. "Morgana," he said, sounding surprised.

"Merlin. What are you doing out here in the cold?"

"Oh, I like to stand outside sometimes and watch the stars sparkle or the snow fall in the diffused moonlight . . ."

"Is that really why you came out here?"

"Yes and no."

She stepped closer. "And what does the 'no' part mean?"

"I didn't get what I really wanted."

"And what is it you really want?"

His laugh was without amusement. "You really _don't_ see it." He stood there a moment, just breathing and looking into her eyes.

She put her hand over his mouth before he could speak. "No, I think I do." She pushed herself onto her tiptoes to press their lips together. It took him a second or too to catch up to what she was doing, but once he did, he pressed back and moved his hands to hold her waist.

She wrapped her gloved hands around his neck as they pulled apart to breathe. As they rested their foreheads together, he spoke again. "I've been in love with you for a few years. But you're my best friend's sister . . . there are sort of unwritten rules about dating there." He paused a moment to think. "But earlier this year, after your mum . . . we saw how you were. And he told me he's known, all this time, how I've felt. He told me to go for it! I didn't believe it. But he told me that if anyone could bring you around, it was me. He said he trusted me to do right by you. It took me so long to act, but I'm glad I did."

"Or I could just be that dense." She let her head fall.

He lifted her chin. "No, you're not. You're brilliant and I'll prove it." He then bent his head to press their lips together firmly. She melded herself closer to him and just held on as the kiss continued. Finally she could take the cold no longer and shivered. He broke them apart to say, "Let's continue this inside, shall we?"

She nodded. He smiled and took her hand, leading her to the door, where they went inside. Then they took off their outerwear and put it away, all while sneaking glances at each other. Just as he'd taken her hand to lead her to the staircase, Arthur and Uther came around the corner.

"Ah ha! I knew it!" Arthur said when he spotted their interlocked hands.

"Damn," Uther said with a smile.

"You owe me fifty pounds," Arthur crowed.

"What's this?" Morgana asked with a note of danger in her tone.

Arthur looked a little frightened. "We had a bet about when you two would get together. I thought it would be before Christmas and Dad thought it would be after."

Merlin and Morgana exchanged a glance then broke into laughter. Arthur and Uther looked puzzled but relieved. "It's ten minutes to midnight," Merlin observed. He glared at his friend then towed Morgana past the two men and up the staircase.

When they got to Merlin's door, he quirked his head to ask her to come in. She nodded and they went inside, locking the door behind them. He leaned down and gave her a brief but sweet kiss then led her to the room's sofa.

"What made you realize how I felt?" he asked.

"It was your smile," she replied. "I realized you have this one smile that's just for me." He smiled at her just then, that particular smile. "That's the one!" She leaned forward and kissed it off of his face.

"You're beautiful."

She blushed. "Thank you. I also thought about how much you've been looking after me since my mum died, especially this past month . . . you have to be the sweetest stalker ever."

"Whatever you say." He cupped her face in his hand. "When did you know you felt the same?"

"Would you believe it took me until dinner tonight? Afterward I just sat on my bed and thought. And I realized that you've always been there for me, even before this year. You've always gone above and beyond for me, more than Arthur has. And—" here she blushed, "my feelings for you are definitely not sisterly."

He leaned forward again, pushing their lips together more forcefully than he's done before. She felt something burst inside her and pushed forward until she was on his lap. She slid her hands into his hair to hold on as he parted her lips with his and dived inside.

Out in the hall, the grandfather clock began chiming. It chimed twelve times before they broke apart. "Now you've got what you've wanted?" He nodded. "Happy Christmas, Merlin."

They stayed close and Merlin whispered, "Happy Christmas, Morgana."

He favored her with another desperate, eager kiss. They both knew that no matter what passed the rest of the day, they had both received their fondest Christmas wish.

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 **Thanks for reading! I'll have another up in another day or so. :)**


	4. Destiny for Christmas

**A little bit shorter one, and a little more gen except for the Mergana at the end. Enjoy! :)**

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Merlin glanced up at the building in front of him. This had to be one of the poshest buildings in town, in the poshest neighborhood. Gaius, dressed as Father Christmas, put his hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Come on, we're going to be late."

This party would be different. People he _should_ know are going to be there. They all go to the same university as he does but he isn't part of their crowd. The posh crowd of footballers and socialites. But he'd definitely know them by the end of the night. He'd probably know them better than they knew themselves. That was just how his magic worked.

Ever since he was young, he'd known he was different from other children. When he touched someone's hand, he could see the important events of their life—their birth, their soulmate and their death. And it wasn't always good news. For example, his mother's soulmate was his father, and he had died before Merlin's birth.

Not many people knew about his "talent" (as he liked to put it). Just his mother, his childhood friend Will and Gaius (Merlin had reconnected him with his soulmate, Alice). So he'd turned it into a moneymaking venture, pretending to be simply psychic. He'd done carnivals, fairs and parties for quite a while now. Around Christmas he liked to pair with Gaius, who had enough magical ability that he could send and receive telepathically. Merlin shook peoples' hands and told the dressed-up Gaius, who told them what they wanted for Christmas, or rather, _who_. They made a surprising amount of money this way.

"Which flat again?" he asked Gaius as they got in the elevator.

"Seven-B."

They rode the elevator in silence until the seventh floor. Then they got out and moved down the hall until they stood in front of 7B. Merlin knocked on the door and it was opened less than a minute later by a pretty, mocha-skinned woman, who yelled behind her, "Hey, Morgana, they're here." She turned back to Merlin and offered him her hand. "Hi, I'm Gwen."

As he took it, scenes from her birth flashed before his eyes, followed by a handsome blonde man helping her pick up fallen books. The final scene showed her, a smile on her aged face as she closed her eyes for the last time. When it faded, he said, "Hello, Gwen, nice to meet you," as if nothing special had happened.

"Come in," she invited and held the door open.

Merlin and Gaius came through and surveyed the scene in front of them. Several people milled about the room, some holding drinks, but all involved in conversation. A table held festive foods and jazzy Christmas tunes were playing in the background. Merlin smiled. He loved Christmas so much.

An instant later, one of the most gorgeous women Merlin had ever seen approached them. Her eyes were jade green, her skin pale, her lips painted a luscious red, and her hair fell in ebony locks around her head. He shook his head to clear it just before she said, "Hello! You must be Merlin."

She held out her hand, which Merlin took. Before his eyes flashed pictures of her birth—a beautiful woman who looked much like the one before him. But her soulmate—he gasped out loud when he saw his own face staring at him in this moment. He let go of her hand just as he caught a glimpse of an ancient version of her.

"Are you quite all right?" the woman asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine. You must be Morgana."

"Just so." She smiled beautifully and he nearly passed out. "Can I get you something to drink? You look kind of ill."

"I really am fine, but some water would be nice."

"No problem. You and Father Christmas can sit on the sofa over there." She pointed to a plush sofa sitting a few feet away.

"Thanks."

As he and Gaius walked over to the sofa, Gaius spoke in his head: " _What happened there? You really do look ill_."

" _Gaius, I'm pretty sure I just met my soulmate_."

" _What?!_ "

" _I saw my own face staring at me when I shook her hand_."

" _That's incredible! Oh, here she comes_."

Merlin looked up. Morgana was indeed headed their way with a glass of water, which she handed Merlin when she reached them. "Thank you," he told her.

"You're welcome." She sat down on his other side. "We'll get started in a little while. Father Christmas, you'll sit in the stuffed chair over there, if that's agreeable to you?"

"That would be fine, my dear," Gaius answered.

Merlin nodded and smiled at Morgana then watched her walk off to talk to the blonde man he'd seen in Gwen's vision _. I wonder if she_ knows _yet?_ He wondered idly before returning to pondering Morgana. It seemed arrogant to assume they'd get along, just like that, but there it was. He had seen himself in Morgana's future and he'd never been wrong.

Several minutes later, Morgana came back to tell them she was announcing them and Gaius could move to the chair. True to her word, she turned around and raised her voice, "Attention everyone!" Conversations immediately died out. "We'll now enjoy the fun part of the evening—Merlin and his close personal friend, Father Christmas!"

There were several whoops and a smattering of applause. Merlin stood up to address the crowd. "Feel free to come up one at a time and let us tell you what- or _who_ -you want for Christmas." There were a few more catcalls before conversation resumed. A pretty blonde woman approached them.

"Hello, I'm Elena," she said. He took her offered hand and the vision began. He saw her literally running into a handsome, olive-skinned man who gave his name as Lance.

He smiled and let go of her hand. "Go ahead and sit on Father Christmas's lap. He'll let you know what it is you want for Christmas. To Gaius he said mentally, " _Her soulmate's name is Lance. She's already met him_." He saw Gaius nod as Elena settled herself on his lap.

Merlin smiled and went back to people watching. One of his favorite pastimes was watching a person and guessing what they were like, then meeting them to see how accurate he was. He'd learned a lot about human nature this way, which aided him in his course of study, psychology. Behind him he heard Elena exclaim, "Really? I know him from my economics class—I'm _definitely_ going to talk to him on Monday."

 _Another success, I hope_ , he thought, and turned to the next person to approach him. It was the blonde man, Gwen's soulmate. "Arthur," he introduced himself. The vision he saw when he shook Arthur's hand confirmed Gwen's vision—they were definitely soulmates. He communicated this to Gaius and watched as Arthur sat on Gaius's lap. He observed Arthur's face as Gaius shared the information—a look of wonder came over it and he turned to look at Gwen, who was talking to Elena. Arthur smiled, got up and crossed the room to approach Gwen.

He turned back and saw there was a queue forming next to him. First was Percival, whose soulmate would be a girl named Freya—he hadn't met her yet. Then a man named Elyan, who was Gwen's brother. After him was a blonde woman named Vivian whose soulmate was standing behind her, oddly enough. Then a man named Leon, who was already dating his soulmate, as it turned out. Several others came, nearly every person at the party, when Morgana finally walked over.

"Hey," she said, "I'm ready for Father Christmas now." She smiled almost blindingly at him; he had to blink to clear his head. "Of course, right this way." He gestured to Gaius and Morgana walked over him.

" _What should I tell her?_ " Gaius wanted to know.

" _Tell her the truth. It's going to happen no matter what. And I can't say that I'm disappointed_."

Gaius chuckled mentally. " _I wouldn't be either, if it was me_."

Merlin sat and tried to remain aloof, but he could hear every word Morgana and Gaius said. "Are you serious?" he heard her say.

"Absolutely."

"Ooh. Well, there's no time like the present, is there?"

Merlin swallowed as a presence came up behind him. Morgana sat next to him and touched his arm. "Hi, so, we're meant to be, yeah?"

He looked beyond her to see Gaius roll his eyes then get up and walk toward the food table. "Yeah, apparently." She smiled and he felt nervous. "Look, I know it might seem self-serving to suggest we're soulmates, but honestly, that's what I saw."

She looked into his eyes. "I believe you."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah. Well, I did do some research on you. All the testimonials from happy couples and so forth. And I thought, hey, why not? Because dating gets old and I believe in true love." He hand sneaked over his lap to rest on his.

"That's—that's kind of crazy, but kind of beautiful too." He twisted his hand up so they could hold hands.

They smiled at each other. "Hey, you want to stay after the party? We can spend some time together, get to know each other a bit?"

"I'd like that."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good." She stood. "Let's see if I can't get this party moving bit." She walked over to her sound system, fiddled with the mp3 player for a bit then yelled to the crowd. "Who's ready to dance?"

Merlin hadn't know there was such a thing as Christmas dance music, but as it began playing, people cheered and began dancing. Even Gaius swayed to the beat a bit. Morgana danced her way back to him and held out her hand. He took it and let her pull him up. Insanely enough, as he danced with her, he became more relaxed. And it felt good.

After an hour or so, Gaius decided to leave. Merlin was more than fine with that—the old man didn't have to keep up with the uni kids, after all. Finally, at about 1 am, people began leaving. It was heartening to see Gwen and Arthur leaving together, in deep discussion.

At last he and Morgana were left alone. She grabbed his hand and yanked him toward the sofa, where they flopped wearily down. All the activity had made him bold, so he reached over and took her hand. "Hi, I'm Merlin."

She smiled. "Morgana. I'm a third-year student at Albion studying political science. I have a half-brother and stepfather who actually turned out to be my real father . . ." She went on and on, talking about her mother's death, her secret half-sister, her friends, courses, and more. By the end of the evening he also knew her favorite color, names of childhood pets and the fact that he was falling for her fast.

He told her all about his family, his father's death, his friends, courses, and how he wished he had siblings. He also shared his hobbies, how his magic worked (she wasn't scared), and about growing up underprivileged.

She seemed fascinated and kept leaning closer and closer to him until her head rested on his shoulder. At 3 am he felt all talked out and looked down at Morgana, who was looking back at him. Her smile made his heart catch and he knew for certain they were meant to be together. He leaned closer to her upturned face and pressed their mouths together.

He felt electricity at the contact, only instead of repelling him, it drew him further in. She turned to face him more fully and he lifted a hand to her cheek and slid it into her silky hair. One of her hands found its way to his waist, the other to his shoulder. He hummed and drew his hand through her hair over and over again.

She moved herself closer yet, breaking for a moment so they could breathe. He pressed their lips back together, the spark increasing this time. She moaned lightly and he licked at her bottom lip; she opened her mouth to him. He groaned as their tongues touched. That spurred her even more—she moved to straddle his lap. Her hands ran down his chest then up again to thread into his hair.

This was quickly becoming the hottest kiss he'd ever experienced. She was not only beautiful, but generous and warm, making sure he experienced as much pleasure as she did. And he was definitely enjoying the kiss.

They were both panting lightly when they finally broke apart. She looked at him, her expression showing wonder and desire. "Wow," she said.

"Yeah," he replied. He imagined he had the same look on his face.

She moved off of his lap. "I think I'd better stop right there. I'm not sure I'd be able to control myself."

"I know the feeling." He stood, looking down at her. "Thank you for a wonderful night."

"Thank _you_ , Merlin."

"So, tomorrow. Dinner?"

"Definitely." They exchanged numbers. "I'll call you." She stood and walked with him to the door. "Happy Christmas, Merlin." She opened the door.

"Happy Christmas, Morgana." And after one last, lingering kiss he was off, floating down the hall to the elevator.

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 **Would love to hear what you think! Have a Happy/Merry Christmas. (more coming soon as soon as I'm cleared to post) :)**


	5. Yule Surprise

**A little tidbit I wrote for a fic exchange over at LJ. Arthur explains Yule traditions to Morgana, who's still new to Camelot, and both are surprised by what follows.**

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Arthur knocked on Morgana's door. His father had ordered him to accompany her to the Yule feast that night. He thought he was becoming too important for a duty like this—Morgana was just _Morgana_. At sixteen he was only a couple of years- _at most_ -from achieving knighthood and becoming their leader. She was just fifteen, not even a proper Lady yet.

Morgana's maid opened the door; he could never remember her name. It was Jen or something like that. "Sire," she said, and bowed.

"Is Lady Morgana ready yet?" he asked, looking over the girl's head.

"Yes, I'm ready," Morgana replied. She stepped from behind the screen leading to her bedchamber.

His mouth opened in surprise. She looked completely different than she had earlier in the day. Her ebony hair was mostly piled on her head, with a few locks trailing downward. Her lips' natural color was enhanced with something cherry red. And her sleeveless royal-blue dress was accented by a long, indigo shawl draping over her elbows.

He was startled back to awareness by a couple of giggles. The girls immediately covered their mouths and pretended not to have done anything. He frowned. "Let's get going then. I don't want Father yelling at me for being late."

"Of course," said Morgana. She'd had a few years to see how hard Uther was on his son. She and Arthur were good enough friends by now that she didn't want to see him hurt on her account.

He held out his arm and she slipped her hand under and around it. "See you later, Gwen," she told her maid and they left the room.

"I'm sorry," she told him once they were a ways down the hall. "I mean, I don't want Uther to yell at you later. It always makes you sad."

He gave her a small smile. "Thank you. I guess you surprised me."

"How so?"

"You look . . . really nice."

She looked away, blushing a little. "Thank you."

He glanced down at her and felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him. He knew what people said about her. The knights praised her beauty and often speculated what she'd be like underneath her clothes. That talk made him turn away. The other courtiers often wondered if Uther was going to marry Arthur and Morgana, taking bets on when it would happen. _That_ talk made him a bit angry. Morgana was a person, not a commodity. And they should both be free to marry whom they liked. But that hadn't stopped his imagination from wandering there anyway.

Her voice broke into his thoughts. "Tell me about Yule."

He pretended to be annoyed. "Mor _ga_ na, we go through this every year."

She smirked. "I know. I just like to hear about it. You know we didn't celebrate it in Cornwall like you do here."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "All right. Yule is the midwinter celebration. There's a big hunt to commemorate the one the gods go on. Every year a boar is caught for the Yule feast, which celebrates what the gods have given us and that we've made it this far through winter."

"It's interesting Uther still permits these celebrations of the Old Religion . . ."

"Moragna, shh!" He looked around and breathed a sigh of relief that no one was about. "My father would have a riot on his hands if he banned these traditions. That's why he permits them."

"And the trees?"

"A Roman custom. The evergreens symbolize eternal life and from them we get the Yule log."

"That's not connected to the bonfires in the lower town."

"No, but it fits nicely, don't you think?"

Just then they came to the dining hall, where large tables were set up around the room. The tables nearly groaned with the weight of the many dishes upon them—mostly meat, but there were preserved vegetables, fruits, and pastries there as well. The room was loud with laughter and conversation, but everyone looked up as the Prince and Lady entered the room. They smiled and raised their glasses.

The couple grinned too and went to take their seats. Just for this feast, Morgana sat next to Arthur. Gaius sat on the King's other side, and the two young people were glad to see the physician getting his due. The seating arrangement allowed Arthur and Morgana to keep talking.

But just then the boar was brought into the room. The thing was so large it took four people to carry the platter and set it in front of the King, who laughed in delight. He stood up and gave a speech about how prosperous the year had been and his joy at the growth of the Kingdom. Then he called for the Yule candle. A drape was yanked off an object behind the King to reveal the candle.

The King was handed a long, lit match and walked toward the candle. Morgana leaned toward Arthur to ask, "And this candle?"

"It's lit every night and put out every morning for twelve mornings. Only the King can do either. It's believed to bless the household, and for him, that includes the Kingdom." He fell silent and they joined the rest of the room in watching Uther light the huge candle.

Everyone cheered when the wick caught and Uther returned to his seat. "Bring the wassail and let's eat!" More cheering sounded and Morgana rolled her eyes. _Of course_ everyone wanted to get drunk.

She whispered to Arthur, "Is wassail symbolic too?"

The Prince rolled his eyes. "Of course. It means 'good health' and goes along with the carols. The drunker everyone gets the more incomprehensible they'll get. In the lower town people go door to door singing them."

"That sounds a bit more fun than this."

"Well luckily we don't have to stay the whole time. Drunk nobles are stupid nobles."

"I didn't know you felt like that."

"Sixteen years at court and we'll see how you feel. Just say the word and I'll escort you out of here."

"Thank you, Arthur." She smiled at him and his world tilted a little. He had to look away for a bit or risk being lost in her jade eyes.

Fortunately there were plenty of distractions. Entertainment in the form of bards and musicians came into the hall. More and more food came from the kitchens to tempt palates. There was even dancing. Arthur and Morgana both had to tolerate partners of various levels of inebriation.

Arthur sat out a dance to watch Morgana. She really was coming into her own—he didn't know why it was so hard for him to admit she was beautiful. Maybe the brother-sister-like relationship they'd developed over the last five years had done it. It had been rough before they'd formed that bond. She wasn't like other ladies at Camelot. She'd grown up learning to ride and swordfight like a man and had seemed wilder for it. But he had to admit she was good at those things; they were part of the reason he liked her.

Wait. He _liked_ her? He turned his focus outward again to watch her whirl and twirl artfully in whatever dance was being performed. Her dress not only highlighted her perfect porcelain skin but her unique eyes too. Her dress swirled just so around her legs . . . _yikes_ , he _was_ captivated. Just as he picked up a sprig of mistletoe and crammed it into his doublet, a servant came up to the King.

Arthur could hear him whispering in his ear, but not what was said. But a smile came over Uther's face. Arthur heard his father say, "Well, bring it in then!" The servant nodded and ran out of the room. Uther stood and clapped his hands. The musicians, dancers and talking stopped. "The Yule log has arrived!"

More cheering and applause rang throughout the room. The servant who'd talked to Uther opened the door to the hall from the outside and held it open. Several men, bearing half an oak tree, stepped through the door and headed for the massive fireplace on one side of the hall. Everyone in the room watched their progress around the room.

Arthur's eye were drawn away when he saw Gaius hand his father a branch about torch-length. Once the log rested in the formerly empty fireplace, the King walked over to it and lit the branch from a nearby brazier. When it caught, he held the branch to the Yule log until it caught fire. He then laid the branch against the log and proclaimed, "It is done!" He returned to his throne.

Morgana leaned over again. "The branch—?"

"From last year's tree."

"And the decorations?"

"Evergreen clippings. To make it look pretty."

She smirked at him. "We all love to make ourselves look pretty."

Arthur just laughed. The music had started up again and Lady Something-or-other approached to ask for his hand. Morgana threw him a smile and waved as he was pulled away.

Several exhausting dances later, Arthur watched as Morgana's drunken partner decided to take liberty. He let his hands drift down to her derriere. She immediately stopped and asked him- rather nicely, Arthur thought -to stop. The man refused and was met with a stinging slap to his face. Arthur winced but his sympathy lay with Morgana. No woman should have to put up with behavior like that if she didn't welcome it.

When the dance finished, he immediately headed back toward his seat at the table. As he sat, she looked over at him. "I suppose you saw all that."

"Yes. I got away as soon as I could, but you handled it well without me."

"Well thank you. But I think I'm ready to leave now."

"Oh good. I'm exhausted."

She smiled at him, a twinkle in her eye. "What are you waiting for then?"

He got lost in her eyes for a moment before she giggled. He turned toward the King. "Father. Morgana wishes to retire for the night. I'll escort her to her chambers."

Uther nodded thoughtfully. "Of course. Will you return?"

"Probably not. I'm rather tired myself."

"All right, Arthur. Good night."

"Good night, Father."

He turned back to Morgana. "We're free." She smiled and nodded. He stood and pulled out her chair so she could stand. She took his offered arm again and with a few waves to people they knew, they left.

"Did you really want to go back to your chambers?" he asked her as they walked down the corridor.

"Not really. I just want to get away from everyone for a little while."

"Shall we go to _our_ place?"

Morgana smiled. "Yes, let's." The place he was referring to was the east tower. Two years after she'd come to Camelot, he'd showed her the deserted tower and they often escaped there when one or both got into trouble. They didn't need it so much for that now, but it was still a place of sanctuary. "Race you."

"In those shoes?"

She paused to remove both shoes. "No," she replied and took off running.

"Hey, no cheating!" But he laughed as he ran to catch up with her.

They ran down several corridors, turning here and there before barging through the nearly-unused door to the tower. He'd decided to let her win this time because she'd looked so put out after that knave accosted her.

She swept through the tower door an instant before he did and plopped herself on a bit of floor next to it. Arthur closed it behind him and sat on the other side of the door. They both laughed as they panted to catch their breath. "Admit it," she said.

"Admit what?"

"That you feel better after all that."

"Ohh yes."

She laughed again, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight. That time the catch in his breath had nothing to do with their impromptu race. "It always feels good to get away from everything for a little while."

"Yes, it does." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Is being a Prince hard?"

"Oh hell yes. What with the training, sitting in councils, being lectured at by Father and Gaius . . . I'll bet being a Lady is _much_ easier."

She shook her head. "Oh, I don't think so. I have to wear stuff like this," she gestured to her dress, " _every_ day, all made up. I have to sew, spin, gossip, and look pretty. I _rarely_ get to do what I really want to do. You're lucky to be male."

"Yep, you're right. Your life is definitely harder." They looked at each other seriously before cracking up into laughter. When they eventually quieted he pulled a small, thin package from inside his doublet. "I have a gift for you."

"What's this?"

"'This' is an old Roman tradition. During their Yuletide celebration they gave each other gifts. It's not very common here yet, but I'd like it to be." He handed her the package.

She took it from his outstretched hand and immediately took off the ribbon and paper. What she held was a small, wooden box. She looked at him as if to ask permission, and he nodded. Inside the box she found an intricate gold chain. Linked to it were several green stones, kind of like fringe. In awe, she touched it then picked it up so the stones dangled. "Arthur—"

"They're emeralds and kind of remind me of your eyes. Need help to put it on?"

"Please."

He scooted closer as she swept her hair from the back of her neck. She held it to the side while he looped the chain around her neck and fastened the clasp. "There."

"Thank you. How does it look?" They both turned so they faced each other.

Arthur was nearly too stunned to speak. "Gorgeous."

"It's down here, silly." She pushed his head downward so he looked at the necklace instead of her face.

"I was right. It does go with your eyes." He wanted to reach out and touch it, but that wouldn't be proper. His whole body tingled and he wanted to do _something_ , but couldn't think what.

"Aw, I don't have anything for you," Morgana broke into his thoughts.

Something about the way she said that struck a chord in him. His heart began beating rapidly. "I think I have something that might work." He pulled the mistletoe out from his pocket.

"Is that . . ?"

"It is. Do I need to explain the tradition surrounding this?"

"No. It was well-known in Cornwall. But how . . ?"

Arthur stood. He searched the wall behind him and found a crack just above his head. Then he crammed the sprig of mistletoe into the crack and made sure it would stay. He looked down at Morgana and said, "I assume it's clear now?"

She swallowed. "Yeah."

He reached out a hand to pull her up. She took it and stood, just looking him in the eye. "So, um . . ."

She giggled nervously and reached a hand up to his face. "I've got this." She raised herself on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

A sensation kind of like relief and nervous bliss exploded in his chest. His hands reached down to hold her by the shoulders. Her other one cradled the side of his neck. After a really long moment or maybe several days, they broke apart. They stared each other in the eyes.

"That was . . ." he started.

"I know. Was it your first?"

He considered how to answer this, but decided to go with the truth. "Yes. You?"

"Oh yes. Do it again?"

He answered her by pressing his lips to hers. The same feeling, but less nervous, bloomed in his chest. Her hands rested on his chest and his slid down to rest on her waist. He broke briefly to reposition his head so their lips fit together more comfortably. That made her whimper softly and they broke as her knees failed and she went sliding to the floor. Fortunately he caught her and slid down with her.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, concerned.

"It helps . . . to breathe," Morgana replied, smiling up at him.

"I just thought you were impressed by my kissing skill."

She snorted but was still smiling. "Maybe it was a bit of both."

He settled against the wall, legs open with Morgana tucked next to his body. "So what now?"

She looked up at him. "You've been thinking about this, haven't you?"

He flushed a little. "Yeah."

"How long?"

"A few hours."

"That's all?" She pretended to pout.

"Hey, be happy I realized it at all. I'm rubbish with feelings."

She giggled and put a hand on his chest. "It's all right. I can help."

"You already have." He leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

She sighed when it was over. "Mmm, so do you think your father would be angry if he knew about this?"

"I don't know. Maybe I should ask him . . . hypothetically."

"That could work."

"And so . . ."

"We see where this goes. If it gets more serious or not."

"This is all so . . ."

"I know. We could be good."

"Or not."

"Or not. But we can enjoy it while it lasts."

"That we can both agree on."

"Arthur, we—"

But he stopped her with another kiss. And another. Neither left the tower until both were too tired to stay awake, then they went together, hand in hand.

* * *

 **I had fun writing this even though it's not my usual pairing. I'd love to hear what you think! Happy Holidays! :)**


	6. Flowers & Tattoos

**I wrote this for a gift exchange on tumblr. Again, not my OTP, but it was interesting to explore a different one (Arwen). Please enjoy!**

* * *

Gwen was on a mission. She'd been walking to work when an idea struck her. It was December first and she and Morgana needed to decorate the shop for Christmas. It so happened that there was a flower shop two doors down from their place. So stopped and stepped inside Camelot Flowers in search of poinsettias.

She was greeted by a temperature not much different from outside, _probably to maintain the freshness of the plants_ , she reasoned. There were a couple glass-doored refrigerators with pre-made bouquets in them. And all around the front of the shop were displays of plants and other things for sale, including poinsettias. She smiled and headed to the counter near the rear of the shop.

A gorgeous blonde man stood there, watching as she approached. "Hello, I'm Arthur. Welcome to Camelot Flowers. Can I help you?"

Gwen walked straight to him. "As a matter of fact, you can. I'd love a couple of poinsettia plants to dress up my shop for the season."

He looked interested. "You have a shop? Close by?"

She chuckled briefly. "Yes, actually. We're two doors down."

"The tattoo parlor?"

"'Girls Can Tat.' That's us."

"Ohhh. Clever name."

"Thank you. Um, the poinsettias?"

He smiled. "Of course. Any particular color?"

"They come in something other than red?"

He chuckled and pointed behind her. She saw a display filled with poinsettias in red, pink, white and various combinations of the three. "Wow."

"I know, right?" Arthur replied and she turned back to him.

Just then a tall, skinny man with dark hair emerged from the door behind Arthur. "Arthur, we've got . . ." He paused when he saw Gwen. "Hi," he stuck out his hand, "I'm Merlin, co-owner of the shop."

Gwen wanted to laugh at this goofy guy, but restrained herself. "Gwen," she replied, holding out her hand.

He took it. "Oh, you run the tattoo parlor down the street."

"Yep, that's me."

" _Mer_ lin," Arthur cut in, frowning.

Merlin looked at Arthur, who made a couple of gestures with his hands. "Ah, got it. Well, Gwen, nice to meet you but I've got a _thing_ to do in the back. Yep. See you later!" He waved as he went back through the door he'd emerged from.

"He's a little odd," Gwen stated.

"You have _no_ idea."

"Well, um, okay. So, the flowers. How about two red ones?"

Arthur smiled. "No problem." He walked from behind the counter to the display next to Gwen. He pulled off two plants and held them toward Gwen. "How are these two?"

She looked over the gorgeous blooms. "They're perfect. I'll take them."

"Great!" He carried them around the counter with him and sat them down there. He tapped a few buttons on the register. "Forty pounds."

She handed over a few notes and he rang it up. "Thank you." She picked the pots up.

"No problem. And if you need more, we'll have them throughout the month." He looked at her quizzically for a moment. "Do you want some help?"

"Ah, no thanks." She turned, looked at the door and sighed. "Okay, maybe with the door."

Arthur dashed around the counter again and ran ahead to open the door. "Here you go. Need help with your shop door?"

"No. My partner will rescue me."

"Partner. Okay."

"Thanks again. Bye, Arthur," she said as she walked out the door.

He watched her for a moment before sighing and going back around the counter. Merlin came through the door again. "She got something?"

Arthur jumped. "Yes, _Mer_ lin. And quit sneaking up on me like that."

"So, she was pretty."

Arthur sighed. "Yeah. And probably taken. She's too beautiful not to be."

"You never know until you ask."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Did you finish that bouquet for the wedding?"

"Yes."

And the bridesmaids'?"

"Um . . . Mithian and Elena are on it."

"That's _your_ baby though. Get back there."

"But . . ."

"Merlin, if I could do your job, I would. But you're the floral wizard, so get back there and supervise the girls."

". . ."

"Now."

"Okay. But if any more gorgeous girls come through the door . . ."

"I'll handle it." He smiled as Merlin retreated behind the door again then turned back to surveying his domain.

oo0Ô0oo

Morgana rushed to open the door for Gwen. "You got poinsettias! They're gorgeous!"

Gwen put them down on the counter. "Not as gorgeous as the guy behind the counter."

"Mm, tell me about him."

"Tall, blonde, crystal blue eyes, and fit as anything."

"Wait. Did you go to the shop two doors down?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Oh, the blonde is my stepbrother. He co-owns that place."

"Arthur is your brother?"

" _Step_ brother. And we don't actually talk much."

"So he doesn't know you co-own this place."

"Nope. After I quit at his dad's company I told him I was joining a new venture. He didn't ask."

"So Arthur works two doors down from us and you've never popped down to say 'hi'?"

"Like I said, we don't talk much."

"Morgana!" The other woman just shook her head. "Okay then. Are we ready to open?"

"Just as soon as we place these beauties." Morgana picked one up and stuck it in the already-decorated window. "There, perfect."

"Gorgeous as usual, Morgana."

"I know."

Just then, a noise from the back of the shop made the two women turn round. "Hello, ladies," a male voice said.

"And _now_ we're good to go," Morgana commented.

As the man came into the front, Gwen said, "Hello, Percival."

"Gwen, I told you to call me Percy."

Morgana chuckled. "You big teddy bear."

"Yeah, I know. Are we ready to open then?"

"For our first day? You bet."

"You flip the sign, Gwen," Morgana prodded.

"Okay, here we go." She cautiously approached the door, reached for the sign and flipped it over to "open."

"Yay!" Morgana cheered.

And they sat back to await their first customer.

oo0Ô0oo

Three days later, Percival was working on a beefy-looking guy while Morgana and Gwen watched. Gwen was depressed that there hadn't been more customers so far, but Morgana had cheered her up with "don't worry, once we become known business will take off." Gwen thought Morgana must be right, because she had a degree in business.

Morgana blew out a sigh and said, "I'm bored. Let's go visit my brother."

Gwen was surprised. "But just yesterday you didn't care whether you talked to him or not."

"That was yesterday. Besides, I think we need more flowers. Maybe something other than poinsettias."

"Oh, okay. Percy, are you going to be all right if we pop out for a few minutes?"

"Yup. I know where to find you."

"C'mon, Gwen." She tugged Gwen over to their coat rack where they put on their jackets. "And we're off," she tossed off to Percival as Gwen pushed the door open.

They giggled the few steps to the flower shop, but sobered before they opened the door. Inside, Arthur and Merlin were talking behind the counter. But both stopped to look as the door's bell dinged. "Hello again," Gwen said.

"Hi, Gwen," Merlin said at the same time Arthur said, "Morgana?"

"Surprise, Arthur," the woman in question answered. She and Gwen walked up to the counter.

"You know Gwen?" Arthur asked her.

"Of course I do. We're business partners."

"Gwen?"

"Absolutely. But we first met at uni." She noticed Merlin checking out Morgana as she did the same. Both smiled slowly at the other.

Morgana's focus snapped back to her brother. "Remember the art courses I took?"

"The ones Father scoffed at?"

"Yeah. Gwen was in them. She got her degree in art."

Arthur looked at Gwen. "Impressive. And now you own—"

"Co-own . . ."

"A tattoo parlor with Morgana. That's what you quit your job to do?" He looked back at Morgana.

"Yeah. Don't tell your dad, please."

Arthur's eyes lit up. "Oh, this could be _so_ good."

Gwen saw the fearful look on Morgana's face and spoke up. "Arthur, I'm sure you don't want to do that to your sister. You seem too nice for that." She batted her eyes at him for good measure.

"Huh?" Arthur looked lost. Merlin chuckled. "Oh, yeah. All right, he won't hear it from me. But you have to do me a favor."

Morgana rolled her eyes. "What is it?"

"Not you. Gwen."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Go out with me."

"Me?" She couldn't believe this was happening to her.

While she stood there gaping at Arthur, Merlin introduced himself to Morgana, who began twirling her hair around her finger. She only did that when she was really interested in something, and apparently the quirky shop owner interested her.

"So?" Arthur asked.

Something about the way he said that charmed her. "Sure, why not? When?"

" _Yes_ ," Arthur replied. "Dinner, tomorrow night. We can meet at your shop after we close here. At six?"

Gwen turned to Morgana. "Will you and Percy be okay if I leave early?"

Morgana pulled herself back to the conversation. "Yeah, we'll be fine. I may not enjoy my stepbrother's company, but there's no reason you shouldn't."

"Hey!" Arthur said. Merlin was chuckling again. Arthur silenced him with a glare, but when Arthur turned back to Gwen, he laughed silently.

Gwen reached out her hand to touch Arthur's. "So I'll see you tomorrow night then."

He smiled back at her. "I can't wait."

The women turned, and with a farewell wave at the men, left the shop. Arthur turned back to Merlin. "Don't think I didn't see you making eyes at my sister."

" _Step_ sister. That's only a step away from not being related at all."

Arthur raised a finger. "You—our parents married when we were really young. So I've actually known her quite a while."

Merlin put up his hands in surrender. "Don't worry, Arthur. A girl as hot as that couldn't _really_ be interested in me."

"Are you kidding? You're exactly her type. Sadly."

"Sadly?"

"Look, Merlin. If you wanna go out with her, go for it. You'd probably be good for her anyway. She needs to settle down, chill out. You could help her with that."

Merlin's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Arthur smirked. "Really."

"How about you and Gwen, huh? Pretty smooth."

Arthur's smirk faded. "I hope so. There's just something about her . . . I think we could really get along."

Merlin put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. If it's meant to be it'll all work out."

"And if it _isn't_ meant to be?"

"Then go out in a blaze of glory, my friend."

Arthur frowned. "Thanks." He still wasn't quite sure what made him ask out the beautiful woman, but he knew he wanted to see her socially. He'd better make this dinner impressive.

oo0Ô0oo

Arthur took Gwen to a little hole-in-the-wall Italian place he knew of. He claimed the food was exquisite and Gwen did enjoy it immensely. While they ate, Gwen shared more of her history with Morgana. How they met and got along right away. She also told how she'd become interested in body art at about the same time she finished uni. And of course she had to work a lame office job to support her art, which is what she really wanted to do. She told him how she'd finally had enough at about the same time Morgana had quit her job. And, of course, their disaffection led to the shop. Morgana handled the business side of things and could also draw tats. Gwen was the main artist and Percival also drew but was there in case they needed muscle. They hadn't needed him that way yet, fortunately.

Arthur was impressed. It took a lot of courage to open a business in this economy, and for two women to do so in an occupation dominated by men . . . well, that was something special. He asked her more than a few questions about it and she replied easily.

Then she asked him questions about how he'd ended up in an occupation that was generally associated with women. He laughed and told her it was all Merlin's fault. He'd met Merlin at uni—they were roommates, actually, and it took them a while to get along. But once they did, they were thick as thieves. Merlin had been in design then and Arthur in business. After graduating, Merlin went to help his mum in her failing floral shop.

From there his story sounded much like Morgana's. He'd been working in his father's company and had woken up one day to wonder _what am I really doing with my life?_ It wasn't that the company was soulless, he just didn't find any meaning in it. So he quit and kicked about for a couple of months before Merlin called him up to reconnect. And the rest was history.

When they left, Arthur drove her to her flat. They exchanged numbers while still in the car and she thanked him for the lovely dinner. Both went home smiling and thinking fondly of the other, wondering _what if?_

oo0Ô0oo

Monday afternoon, the door of Girls Can Tat opened to reveal Arthur and Merlin. "Hello, neighbors!" Merlin called out, and everyone laughed.

The shop had no customers, but then again they'd just opened for the day. Everything looked clean, organized and ready to go for the day. Again, Arthur was impressed. "Hi ladies, and . . ." he broke off after spotting Percival.

"Percy," said the big, fit man.

"Good to meet you," Merlin chimed in. He held out his hand and Percy came forward to shake his and Arthur's.

Morgana stepped forward. "Percy, this is my stepbrother Arthur and his friend Merlin." She paused to smile at the brunette.

"Oh, you guys own Camelot Flowers."

"That's us," Arthur agreed.

"We," said Merlin with a glance at Arthur, wanted to come see your premises and give you a welcome gift." He brandished the hand he'd been hiding behind his back—a plate of biscuits.

Morgana snatched it from his hand, peeled back the covering and took one out. "Looks good." She bit into it. "Mm, tastes good too. Did you bake these yourself?"

Merlin grinned. "I did."

Arthur rolled his eyes the same time Gwen did. "So, can you give me a tour or are things off limits?" he asked her.

"Um?" Gwen was surprised.

"I've never been inside a place like this before. Not for Morgana's lack of trying though."

"Well, there's not much to tour, really. This is where we work and everything and the storage-slash-breakroom is back there. Oh, and the loo." She pointed down the hallway behind her.

They were interrupted by an indignant gasp from Merlin. He was looking at the poinsettia plant on the counter next to Morgana. She was in his personal space but it was clear the plant had concerned him somehow. "Your poinsettia! Didn't you tell them how to take care of them, Arthur?" he finally said.

Arthur looked over at the plant and felt like smacking himself. "No, I didn't. Argh."

"Well, they're dying. We'll just have to bring you two new ones."

"But—" Gwen started.

Merlin smiled at her. "Nope, no protesting. We'll bring them over tomorrow. We're getting a fresh shipment in the morning. And remember to give them indirect sunlight and water every two days or so. Rotate them in and out of the window."

Morgana smiled at him. "Thank you, Merlin. Can I talk to you for a moment in the back?"

Merlin threw a questioning look at Gwen and Arthur, but they just shrugged. So he let her pull him down the hallway into the breakroom.

"What's that all about?" Arthur wondered.

"I think she wants to ask him out. He hasn't asked her yet, and you know how she is."

"Yes I do." He cleared his throat. "Speaking of going out, um, I need to go shopping for Christmas presents and I could use a woman's touch. Would you come with me?"

"When?"

"Wednesday night?"

Gwen looked at Percy. He grinned and waved his hand. "Go. We'll be okay here, you know."

She smiled at him for a moment before turning it on Arthur. "I'd love to. After you close again?"

"Yeah. Meet you here?"

"Perfect."

Just then, Merlin and Morgana came back out to the front of the shop. He was blushing and Morgana had a triumphant smirk on her face. "Let's go," he said to Arthur as he passed by him on the way to the door.

Arthur rolled his eyes again. "Okay. See you later, Gwen, Morgana, Percy . . ."

They all waved goodbye as Arthur and Merlin stepped back into the cold. The two men paused in front of their shop door. "Arthur—" Merlin started, gripping his friend's arm.

"What's wrong, Merlin?"

"She asked me out!"

"So . . ? Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes! But a girl like her and a guy like me . . ."

Arthur put his hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Relax. She doesn't bite. Well, not on the first date anyway." Merlin's eyes widened, but whether in fear or interest, Arthur couldn't tell. "She's obviously interested, so just go with it. You'll be fine."

Merlin blew out a breath. "Okay." He smiled. "I can do this." He opened the shop door and let Arthur inside.

"Out of curiosity, when's your date?"

"Tonight."

"Ooh. Good luck, mate."

"Thanks." Merlin seemed to thaw. He smiled and went through to the back of the shop where he was presumably dishing to Elena, who was working there. Mithian, behind the counter, gave Arthur a strange look.

"Girls."

"Ahh," she said and nodded. She then turned and walked through the door to the back.

Arthur sighed and went behind the counter. He mused over how amazing it was they managed to keep the shop afloat when its workers acted like love-struck fools.

oo0Ô0oo

Wednesday evening arrived rather quickly. Arthur met Gwen outside her shop and they bundled into his car and drove a short ways to the shopping district. There, she helped him buy gifts for his family, friends and co-workers. He bought her dinner at a Chinese place and they sat down there to enjoy it.

This time they discussed all about their families. Arthur told her several fun stories about Morgana that she hadn't heard. She laughed quite a bit then sobered when he mentioned his mother's death. He asked about her family afterward and discovered they had missing mothers in common—Gwen's mother had died just a few years ago. But she still had her father and brother.

When they were done, Arthur drove her home again, but this time he walked her to her door. He thanked her for coming with him and offered to do the same for her, if she wanted. Her answering smile nearly blinded him. Her beautiful chocolate eyes drew him in and he was stunned speechless for a moment.

Gwen became concerned. "Arthur?"

"I—I really want to kiss you now."

Her heart fluttered in her chest. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

He took that for the invitation it was and moved quickly to press their lips together. His arms slid down to her waist and hers wrapped lightly around the back of his neck. The moment seemed to last forever as a rush of sensation rushed through him. She felt so perfect, so right.

She was surprised by Arthur's intensity. His lips were surprisingly soft and the pressure tender. She'd thought him to be the type to go for and take what he wanted, but that's not what he was doing now. Warmth bloomed in her chest and radiated south, filling her body. She held on, not wanting the moment to end, ever.

Eventually they had to come up for air. He pulled away slowly, a look of wonder on his face. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Anytime," she replied.

One of his hands drifted up to her face. "Good night, fair Gwen."

"Good night, Arthur." She stared at him for a moment as he walked away slowly. Once he got to his car, he turned to wave at her. She waved back and watched him drive away then went inside.

That night she had a very hard time falling asleep.

oo0Ô0oo

Arthur and Gwen attempted to keep their budding relationship away from their nosy co-workers, but it proved impossible. And neither of them really minded because they both felt too good about it. It felt too right to them. And if they ever got tired of the prodding, they turned the same questions back on Merlin and Morgana.

Gwen and Arthur found excuses to see each other during the day. Sometimes they brought lunch to the other. Sometimes Arthur came by to "check on the plants." And sometimes they snuck out behind their shops to make out, only to leave because Merlin and Morgana were already there doing that. They just laughed, shook their heads and went back to the tattoo shop's breakroom. Neither minded if Percy walked in on them. He was just happy to see his friends happy.

Eventually Gwen did take him up on his offer to shop with her. He carried all her bags and invited her to come back to his place for dinner and wrapping. She was surprised at the offer, but took it gladly. Besides, if he really could cook that made him even more special.

His flat was typically male, but clean and homey at the same time. He got out his wrapping supplies and put them on the table for her then invited her to sit there so she could wrap while he cooked. And he did cook—a kind of curry that smelled incredibly delicious. She didn't finish before dinner was ready, but that was all right. He offered to help her after dinner.

She found it hard to concentrate on dinner with him right there next to her. He seemed equally distracted by her. Conversation paused when he put his hand on hers or they looked into each other's eyes. She felt that the wrapping might not get done after all.

When they finished, he pulled her into the kitchen and backed her up to the counter. He proceeded to press their lips together hungrily and she gave as good as she got. She held his face between her hands and nipped at his bottom lip. He opened his mouth in surprise so she sneaked her tongue inside. He sighed, his hands on her hips grasping more firmly. Soon they were lost in a battle for dominance that neither won, each caring too much about the other.

After they finally broke apart, they gazed at each other with desire. He lowered his head to her neck and began nuzzling there. Gwen moaned at the sensation. Arthur kept kissing, but said, "If you don't want to continue, you'd better stop me. Too much longer and I won't be able to stop myself . . ."

She moaned again as his hands began rubbing up and down her sides. She let him continue to kiss up and down her neck while she thought. They'd only been dating for two weeks—was she ready for this? And the more she thought, the more she doubted. "Arthur—" she tried.

He didn't seem to pay any attention, so she had to say again, "Arthur."

That time he heard her and pulled away a little. "Gwen?" he asked, confused.

"I—I think I'd better go."

He looked deep into her eyes; she swallowed painfully. "All right. I won't pressure you."

She smiled. "Thank you."

As she put her clothes to rights, he fetched all her presents and bagged them for her. He walked her to the door and opened it for her. "Thank you for a lovely night," she told him.

"My pleasure," he replied, giving her a quick kiss. "See you later."

"Definitely. Good night."

She walked away, feeling a little disappointed in herself. He obviously cared for her a great deal and wanted to take things further, as did she. But the last time she'd fallen for a man quickly, he'd run away just as quickly. She didn't want to hurt Arthur or herself like that again.

oo0Ô0oo

Arthur was a bit confused by Gwen's actions. He respected her decision to leave before things got too intense, but things had been going so well. He'd really wanted to pull her into the bedroom and make sure she was satisfied, but didn't want to push her.

They'd talked a few times since, texted and seen each other during the day. She seemed fine but he was unsure what to do next. He was almost to the point of asking Merlin what he should do, because he sure wasn't going to talk to the girls about it. But Merlin looked so happy he didn't want to burden him.

About a week later, a handful of days from Christmas, Merlin caught Arthur looking glum. The usual cheering up routine wasn't working, so he decided to try something else. "Is it Gwen?" he asked his friend.

Arthur looked at him funny. "How—?"

Merlin grinned. "Just a guess."

"I don't want to bother you."

"You won't. What is it?"

"Well, everything seems fine on the surface, but . . ."

"Ohh. I get it. You're ready to move forward and she's not."

"That's what I'm guessing. One night . . . well, she pulled away unexpectedly. She seems fine about everything, but something's not quite right."

"Hmm, have you tried _asking_ her?"

"What? No."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Arthur, you've got to talk to her."

" _Mer_ lin . . ."

"Want me to ask Morgana?"

Arthur's eyes widened in panic. "No! Just . . . no. I'll talk to Gwen."

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

Merlin's eyebrow rose. "But you're miserable."

"Yeah, so?"

"You need to fix this now."

"Really."

"Fine, be that way. I dare you to go over there and get a tattoo."

" _What?!_ "

"You heard me. Go over there and get a tattoo. That way you'll have an excuse to talk to her."

"I can talk to her without—"

"Sure you can. But you weren't going to. And I happen to know you can't refuse a dare. So now you have a reason to go over there and talk to her."

Arthur looked furious but also relieved. It was a strange combination on his face. "Fine. I suppose you want to come over and see if I actually do it."

"Nah, someone's got to run this place. I trust you—besides, there'll be evidence." He smiled teasingly.

Arthur grumbled but walked to get his coat from the back. He emerged with it on and went to the door. With one last glare, he was out the door. Merlin wanted to laugh, but decided against it. The people in the shop might think he was deranged. And who wanted to buy flowers from a deranged florist? So he smiled and leaned on the counter, ready for whatever came up next.

oo0Ô0oo

As the shop's door opened, Gwen, Morgana and Percy paused to look up from their positions. Morgana and Percy were working on customers while Gwen looked busy behind the counter. She smiled at him and said, "Hello, Arthur."

He smiled back and walked over to her. He looked down at what was on the counter between them—giant books with pictures. "Hey, Gwen, um, I'dliketogetatattoo."

A confused look came over her face. "What was that?"

He cleared his throat. "I'd like to get a tattoo."

Gwen examined his face carefully. "Arthur, not that I'm not glad for the business, but are you sure? Because you don't look sure."

"Um yes?"

"You're not inspiring confidence, love. Did someone put you up to this?"

He looked down at the book again. "Yeah, it was Merlin. He dared me."

"And do you always take dares?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Arthur, how much do you know about getting a tattoo?"

He hesitated. "Um, nothing?"

Gwen sighed. "That's what I thought. Come here." She indicated that he should come around the counter. Once he did so, she took his hand and pulled him back to the breakroom. She pushed him onto the small sofa there and sat beside him. "Okay, I'm going to tell you all about the process and when I'm done, you'll tell me if you still want to go through it."

Arthur felt a bit intimidated but agreed. "All right."

Gwen began explaining. "First off, we want you to come in for a consult where you decide what you want done and where. That usually involves looking through our portfolios out front. Once you decide, we need time to draw it up."

"Oh. So it's not like on the telly where you walk in then walk out thirty minutes later."

"Heck no! After we call you to come back in, we want you to come in clean and loosely clothed in clothes that aren't super important. Once we get started on drawing, it will hurt for about ten minutes." Arthur paled a little. "After that it mostly goes away but you have to stay very still. And screaming definitely won't help."

"Why would I—?"

"Believe me, when Morgana and I were doing our research, we heard a bit of screaming."

"O—okay."

"Now, do you still want to get a tattoo?"

Arthur looked relieved. "Not today."

Gwen smiled. "Good. Because you would have done it for the wrong reason." She made to stand up but he reached out a hand to stop her.

"Actually, Gwen, the dare was a reason to get me over here. I wanted to talk to you about something."

She looked a little fearful. "What is it?"

"You've been so good to me, so wonderful . . . I just want you to know you're cared for. And ever since that night at my place, you've seemed a little distant."

She blushed and sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"What is it? Is it me?"

She took his hand in hers. "No, it's me." She saw him about to protest and put a hand over his mouth. "No, hear me out. My last year in uni, I started dating a man. I fell for him hard and very quickly. When I told him how he felt, he got scared and cut off all contact with me.

"And you, you're incredible. I—I've started falling for you, Arthur, and it scared me. I didn't want to scare you away like I did Lancelot. What I'm feeling for you—well, it feels deeper than that. I want to be with you for a long time." She blushed.

Arthur looked at her in amazement. _That's_ what she was worried about? He took her other hand. "Gwen, I'm not him. I think I've fallen for you too. And while I'm ready to take our relationship to the next level, I'm also willing to wait until you're ready." He looked into her eyes. "I'm not going to leave you anytime soon. This thing with you . . . it's amazing and I've loved every minute of it." He squeezed her hands. "But if you're ready now, I won't hold you back either."

Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Thank you, Arthur. You're the best thing to happen to me since . . . well, ever." She withdrew her hands from his and threw them around his shoulders.

He rubbed her back a bit, saying, "Hey, hey," until she relaxed.

She eventually calmed down and pulled back, an excited look coming over her face. "Come over to mine on Christmas Eve."

"What?"

"Come to my flat Christmas Eve. I can't think of anyone better to celebrate with." Her face fell. "Unless you have plans with Morgana and your father . . ."

He laughed and took her hand again. "No, we have our big family celebration on Christmas Day. I'm free on Christmas Eve."

"Eee!" she squealed and threw her arms around him again. When she pulled away, he chased her to press their lips together again. It lasted for a few minutes and grew passionate, so when he pulled away she sighed. "Mm, that was perfect."

"Just wait. When we finally—"

She cut him off with a quick kiss. "I'll be glad. Now, I've got to get back to work and I'm sure you do too."

He frowned. "Yeah."

"Don't worry, we'll have some uninterrupted time in four days." They both got up and headed to the rear of the shop. "See you later."

He kissed her quickly before saying, "Until later then." And he was off, out the door.

Gwen floated back to the front of the shop. Morgana paused to shoot her a questioning look, but Gwen ignored her. She'd find out soon enough anyway. She went back to tidying and organizing behind the counter, humming "Baby, It's Cold Outside," the entire time.

oo0Ô0oo

Arthur whistled as he walked up to Gwen's flat four nights later. He had some roses from the shop and a bottle of good wine. When she opened the door, she smiled and beckoned him inside. She took his coat to the closet and accepted the flowers and wine, gushing over both.

She led him back to her dining room, adjacent to her kitchen. Then she put the flowers in water and opened the bottle. Arthur looked over at the perfectly set table and took the opportunity to examine Gwen. She wore a sleeveless black knee-length dress with heels to match. It was simple but perfect for her. And she looked so happy as she stirred this and that, in her element like she was at the tattoo parlor.

"You look wonderful," he told her.

"Thank you," she replied with a light blush. "Dinner's just about—" A timer dinged then and she pulled a small turkey or maybe a chicken from the oven.

"Mm, it smells heavenly in here."

She blushed again and told him to take a seat while she brought out the food. The bird did turn out to be turkey. She served them and they began eating.

During dinner they talked about their family's various traditions. She told him her family usually got together on Christmas Eve, but that they were both out of town on business. He went into detail, explaining about their awkward family dinners that had gotten easier the older he and Morgana got. They laughed a lot and smiled even more.

After dessert, Gwen got up and pulled Arthur to the sofa. "I have a present for you," she explained. She went to her Christmas tree and picked up a small, rectangular package. "Open it," she said, handing it to him.

He took it and unwrapped it to find a book of Arthurian lore. "I thought since your name was Arthur, your sister is Morgana and your best friend is Merlin . . ."

"That I'd like this?" She smiled and nodded. "Of course I do! I was much more into it as a child, reading everything I could get my hands on, but this one must be new."

She blushed again. "It is. I saw it and immediately thought of you."

"Thank you." He leaned over to give her a sweet, lingering kiss. "I have something for you too." He pulled a small, thin box from his jacket pocket. "I hope you like it."

She took it from his hand and tore the wrapping off. It was a box from a well-known jewelry store. "Arthur—" she started, a little shocked.

"Just open it."

She lifted off the lid carefully. Inside was an intricately-woven gold bracelet. It was woven so finely that stones sat here and there in the pattern. "Are those diamonds?"

"Yes."

"Arthur, how can you afford this?"

"Two words—trust fund." He smiled brightly. "Do you like it?"

"I love it!" she put the box on her lap and threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear. She felt him shudder and pulled back a little to look at his face. "Are you—?" she started.

But he cut her off with an energetic kiss. His hands had seized her face to bring their mouths together. She sighed as she melted into it, enjoying the warmth that spread throughout her body. Her hands wrapped around her waist to pull herself closer. "I'm fine," he panted as they broke for air.

"Good." She put a hand behind his head and pulled him back to her. She felt their gifts tumble to the floor as his tongue entered her mouth, but by then she didn't care. Her body shifted until she was straddling his lap, pressing them even closer together. He moaned and slid his hands to her derriere, holding her there for a long moment until the broke for air.

"Bedroom?" he said as he shifted his attention to her neck and she moaned.

"Yesssss," she replied, holding on for dear life. He picked her up with him and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her all the way to the bed, gently laying her upon it.

Clothing was quickly shed and bodies pressed together. Hands and mouths explored the new territory, each finding what the other liked best. Pure bliss washed through both of them as they became one.

Later, while they lay tangled together, Gwen rubbed his bare back. "You know, a tat right here," she tapped his left shoulder blade, "would look incredibly sexy."

"Yeah? And what would my personal tattooist recommend?"

"Something to go along with your name or your personality . . . like a dragon!"

"A dragon?"

"Ohh yes. I've got the perfect idea for it. And I'll give you the drawing after. It'll be only for you."

"Mm, I could maybe go for that."

"I'll be really gentle."

"I know." He pressed their lips together and that ended all conversation for a time. Maybe sometime he'd get that tattoo, but right now he had much better things to focus on.

* * *

 **WDYT? I've got a couple more gifts to post, then it's back to my erratically scheduled Mergana. :)**


	7. Snowballed

**From a prompt on LJ- Merlin and Arthur drive to meet up with Merlin's family for Christmas, but a snowstorm forces them to stop overnight. This is bromance, not slash, not that I have anything against slash writers, it's just not my thing. :)**

* * *

Merlin paused in the middle of his furious packing to turn on the telly. He wanted to check the weather forecast for his and Arthur's drive to Wales for Christmas. His mum had already told him to expect plenty of snow while they were there, but he wanted to know about the drive. He nearly kicked himself for not checking earlier, but at least they'd know before they left.

The moment sound came from the screen, Arthur came out of his room. "What's this?" he asked.

"Looking for the weather forecast," Merlin replied as he changed the channels until he found one talking about the weather. Both men watched intently as the reporter stood along a snow-clogged motorway and explained how rough things were on the way out of the city. Merlin's frown deepened as the man explained conditions on every major route.

"Wow, would you look at that?" Arthur commented. The station showed snowplows tackling roads covered in several centimeters and more coming down.

"Maybe we should cancel the trip."

" _Me_ rlin, no. I can drive all right in the snow. I grew up in the north, remember?"

"We could end up stuck on the side of the road or something."

Arthur put his hands on Merlin's shoulders. "You've been trying to get me to meet your family since uni. We've both been too busy up till now. I'm not giving up because of a little snow."

"A _little_?"

"Calm down, Merlin. Now turn this off—you need to finish packing."

Arthur had a point. Ever since they'd met in their first year of uni, Merlin had wanted Arthur to meet his family. He knew Arthur would get along with his older brother Gwaine. His parents had fostered Gwaine when Merlin was ten, and the boys had gotten along so well that they'd adopted him. Merlin's dad worked in the same business as Arthur's, so they'd get along fine. And Merlin's mum simply loved everyone.

"Okay," he replied and turned off the telly. His flatmate was right. _They were going to do this!_ He'd learned over the years to trust Arthur's instincts, because they were usually right on. He returned to his room and resumed his packing.

oo0O0oo

Two hours later, neither man was so sanguine. Traffic had slowed to a crawl and they hadn't even made it into Wales yet. Snow along the side of the road was piled about thirty centimeters high and visibility was down to just a few meters. They looked at each other and shrugged—they had no choice but to keep going.

Another hour later and it was beginning to get dark. They weren't that much further down the road and the snow fell thicker and faster now. "Maybe we should look for somewhere to stay for the night," Merlin suggested.

Arthur glared. "Are you doubting my driving skills again?"

"No, I'm doubting Mother Nature's ability to slow down this snow. Just look out there." He pointed out the front. "It looks like the front screen of a _Star Wars_ ship going into light speed!"

Merlin had a point. Arthur felt like Han Solo navigating his way through the asteroid field. "Just let me drive another hour or so and we'll see how we feel."

The other man rolled his eyes. "All right. But if visibility gets any worse . . ."

"We'll stop."

"Okay."

But they only ploughed on for another half hour before the wind grew so furious that it nearly blew their car off the road. Merlin saw a town's sign flash by in his peripheral vision. He didn't see what it said, but he knew what it meant. "Arthur, it's getting worse out there."

"I know, I know. We'll stop before we're blown off the road."

"I saw a sign for a town. It can't be far."

Soon they saw a light glow in the near distance and blew out twin sighs of relief. They passed a few houses, which gave way to shops. Eventually they saw a sign for a hotel. As Arthur braked to turn into the establishment, the wheels slipped on a patch of ice. Arthur took his foot off the accelerator as the car began sliding sideways. They miraculously avoided any other cars as they slid and Arthur gently applied the brakes. They slowed just enough so when the car hit the curb, it stopped and turned itself off.

Merlin and Arthur panted for a minute, trying to calm their heart rates down. They looked at each other with wide eyes, not quite believing the series of events. "That was . . ." Arthur started.

"Unbelievable," Merlin finished.

After a minute or so more, they began laughing hysterically. It went on for about two minutes before they stopped to catch their breath again and take stock of their surroundings. "Where the heck are we even?" Arthur asked.

"No idea," Merlin replied. No buildings around them gave them a clue, but then again, they didn't really care. It was just a relief to be alive after that ordeal.

"Well, we should get out before we freeze to death out here."

"Good plan."

They both turned to the back seat to pick up their bags. As soon as they had them, both put their coats on and got out of the car. Snow instantly began driving itself into every crevasse it could find, making them shiver. "Hurry!" Arthur yelled over the howl of the wind, and they began running toward the sign marked "office."

Merlin reached it first and threw open the door. He held it against the wind for Arthur then stepped inside. Both men were instantly engulfed in soothing, warm air. They sighed in relief and made their way to the front desk. "One room please," Arthur said to the woman standing there.

She glanced up. "Two beds?"

"Please."

She typed at her computer for a minute or so before she said, "Okay." She minted two cards and handed them to Arthur. "It's room number two-fifteen, just take the stairs up." She smiled. "Try to stay warm."

"We will," said Merlin with a smile. He and Arthur turned away to find the stairs.

Their room was most of the way down the long hall. They both breathed a sigh of relief as Arthur opened the door and they stepped inside. Like the lobby, the room was toasty warm and gave off a cozy aura that was instantly relaxing. Both men put their bags down on a chest sitting there and took off their coats. Arthur flung himself down onto a bed while Merlin sat on the other and pulled out his phone.

"Gonna call your mum?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, she's probably getting worried since we were supposed to be there by now."

Arthur's brow wrinkled in concern. "Oh yeah. Go ahead."

Merlin dialed and held the phone up to his ear. Sure enough, Merlin's mum answered. Arthur could hear almost every word of her concern. He instantly felt bad they hadn't thought to call her earlier when they first knew they'd be delayed. He listened as Merlin patiently explained things to her and got her to calm down a little. By the time he finished the call, Merlin was smiling.

"She's okay now?" Arthur asked.

"What? Mm, yeah. She was worried there for a while."

"I could tell."

"Oh." Merlin chuckled a little. "She does get loud when she's worried."

"It's all right. So what do you want to do with our free time here?"

"Eat, obviously."

"We'll have to go out."

"That's all right. Let's see what's around here." He went to the window to look at the businesses around them. It seemed they'd found themselves a mid-sized town so there was more than one food place nearby.

Arthur joined him at the window. "There's a pub," he pointed.

Merlin agreed and they both put their coats back on, along with hats and gloves. They made it to the pub without slipping too much and got themselves a bit of food and drink. Everyone was talking about the weather and they weren't the only ones who'd been forced to stop here for the night.

After a couple hours, they were feeling sufficiently fed and mellow enough to tromp back to the hotel. The snow hadn't lightened up but it hadn't gotten any worse either. They slipped a few more times but made it back to the hotel injury-free. Once they were back in their room, they mutually decided to watch telly until they felt tired.

Both ended up dozing within a couple hours and they decided going to bed a little early would be for the best. They took turns in the bathroom, getting ready for bed then settled under the warm and cozy covers. Merlin turned out the lights, they traded "goodnights" and drifted into a contented sleep.

Sometime later, something woke Arthur. It was still dark, he could tell, so what had woken him? The knock on the door answered that question. He was hit by a wave of cold and came awake enough to realize his body was curled into a fetal position. Another knock galvanized him into rising from the bed and walking to the door.

Upon opening the thing, he found the woman from the front desk. She was carrying a torch. Arthur also noticed the complete darkness of the hall. "So sorry to disturb you at this hour, but the hotel's power has gone out. There's no heat and no phone service either, but the town is working on it." Arthur blinked at her, barely comprehending. "There are other hotels around town which haven't lost power. I can give you their names if you wish."

Arthur shook his head to wake further. "That's not necessary. We'll make do."

"As you wish. Look, I've got to get to the other rooms . . ."

"Of course. Thank you." She nodded and walked to the next door to repeat the exercise. As Arthur closed their door, he heard rustling in the other bed and a moan.

"Arthur?" Merlin's sleepy voice asked, "Why is it so cold?"

Arthur went back to sit on his bed. "The power's been knocked out. They don't know for how long."

"Ohh noo. That's bad."

"You think?"

"What will we do?"

"What you do in any survival situation. Share bodily warmth."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

"No, I'm not. Without power there's no heat. And with no heat we could get hypothermia. You want to deal with that? Because I don't."

"Oh man."

"Yeah, well, make room. I'm coming over and I'm bringing my duvet with me." Arthur stood and pulled the cover from his bed. He tossed it over Merlin, who shifted over to the left to make room for him. Arthur then pulled up both blankets and slid under them. He shifted over until he made contact with Merlin's back.

"Well this isn't awkward at all," Merlin said with a nervous giggle. But he shuddered at the sudden infusion of warmth and relaxed back into Arthur's body.

"Shh. Go back to sleep," Arthur replied. He couldn't find a comfortable place for his arm so he draped it over Merlin's chest. The other man shuddered but didn't move away. "Goodnight again."

"Goodnight, Arthur."

Soon both men were warm and relaxed enough to drift back to sleep.

oo0O0oo

Arthur woke in the morning, warm, content and remarkably well-rested. He was snuggled next to something equally warm that his arm was draped over. At that moment, his eyes snapped open and he remembered what the something was— _Merlin_.

He lifted his arm slowly and pushed himself slightly away from Merlin's body. He remembered the waking, the cold and the delicious warmth after. His face felt warm now so he stuck out his arm to be extra sure. The room was toasty again so he turned his head to look at the alarm clock. It sat there blinking "12:00" at him.

Just then, Merlin shifted in his sleep and mumbled. Arthur whipped his head around in time to see his friend's eyes open slowly. Merlin really had the most gorgeous eyes and striking cheekbones. If Arthur swung that way at all . . .

"Arthur," Merlin interrupted his train of thought, "what are you doing in my bed?"

"You don't remember last night?"

"What about it? Oh wait . . ."

"Yeah. The power went out and we huddled for bodily warmth."

"That explains it. Um . . . There's no un-awkward way to say this . . ."

"Get out of your bed?"

"Yeah."

"It's all right—the heat is back on. I've got to check the time and get in the shower."

Arthur got out of the bed and nearly tripped on his way over his clothes. "Let's see. Um, eight-fifteen. We should get on the road soon, assuming things look better out there."

"Check outside."

Arthur gave him a look. "Yes, _sire_."

Merlin just chuckled while Arthur whipped back the curtain. "Ahh," he said when the light hit his face.

Arthur chuckled this time. "Looks like it's stopped snowing."

"And the road?"

"Ploughed. We can get started after breakfast."

"Doesn't this place have a free buffet?"

"Indeed it does."

"Excellent!"

Arthur stuck his tongue out at him. "Enjoy your last moments of coziness. As soon as I'm out of the shower you're getting in."

"Mm-hm."

Arthur just rolled his eyes and pulled clean clothes from his bag. He was tempted to take his time in the shower but decided against it. When he emerged, Merlin was sitting on his bed and going through his bag.

"Oh hey," he said, looking up.

"I left some warm water for you."

"Oh thanks," he said with a sarcastic slant to his voice. He got up and made his way to the bathroom.

Arthur began packing his own bag. He thought about how awkward Merlin _wasn't_ being. He'd seemed really bothered by the bed-sharing in the night but _now_ he was okay with it? Just when he thought he knew his best friend slash flatmate . . .

He sighed and sat on the bed to get his shoes on. By the time he'd done that and was a few minutes into a program on the telly, Merlin came out. He smiled and put his stuff in his bag.

After Merlin finished packing, they gave the room one last look and left, glad to be getting breakfast. They took their time eating and Merlin called home to tell them they were leaving. If everything was clear, they'd make it in forty-five minutes. If not then who knew?

Once on the road, they remained quiet for a while, just listening to the radio playing the usual Christmas tunes. It was pretty soothing but soon Arthur's curiosity grew uncontainable. He opened his mouth to speak and turned slightly toward Merlin only to find his friend already looking at him. "What?" Merlin said.

"Well, Merlin, um . . ."

"Is this about our bed sharing last night?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact. How come you protested at the time but when we woke up you were okay?"

"Because you're a heater and I didn't realize how cold I was."

"You just admitted I was right."

"Okay, I'll give you that. Thanks for talking me into it."

"Well, I do pride myself on having more common sense than you."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, _Mer_ lin."

For the rest of the drive they talked about inconsequential stuff—work, what their friends were doing, things they wanted to do in the New Year. All the awkwardness had disappeared like Arthur had imagined it. And he probably had.

When they finally reached Merlin's home, Hunith threw open the door and gave each of them a hug. Gwaine did too and Arthur had to laugh at his exuberance. Balinor merely shook his hand and introduced himself. Once Arthur and Merlin were settled in Merlin's old room, they came back out and all began talking at once.

Several minutes later, Arthur paused to look at Merlin interacted with his family. They were so different from _his_ family. More affectionate, teasing but kind. And very generous and open. Arthur had only known them an hour or so but he felt like he'd known them much longer. He felt like they would still welcome him even if he and Merlin ever fell out. It was the kind of thing Arthur wanted in a future family, but for now he was content to watch this one.

* * *

 **A few more fluffy Christmas one-shots on the way soon! :)**


	8. Home for the Holidays

**I apologize upfront about the length- it's almost 9K words (not counting my notes.) But hopefully you'll think it's worth it, with its long-awaited Mergana.**

* * *

Morgana rolled her eyes at the banality of the conversation, even though her brother on the other end couldn't see it. "Morgana, surely you can step away for a few days. _Poise_ won't go down the toilet that quickly. Besides, everything shuts down for Christmas anyway," Arthur said.

"Not everything, brother dear," she replied.

"Morgana, I hate to play this card, but . . . Father isn't doing well. The doctors think this could be his last Christmas."

Morgana was momentarily floored. She and Uther hadn't gotten along during her formative years—she'd been angry at how he'd treated her mother after their affair. But they'd reconciled after Uni and had become close. Damn Arthur, knowing just what to say to get her to change her mind. "All right. I can stay through Boxing Day. But after that . . ."

"Thank you Morgana. You won't regret it."

"I hope not," she said softly.

"We'll make it just like it was when we were kids—fun."

"Sounds nice." Suddenly she was glad he'd talked her into it. To be free of the stress and deadlines for a few days would be worth it.

"Call me when you've made your travel plans, okay?"

"I will."

"Don't worry, Morgana. He's got several months at least." There was a short pause. "Listen, I've got some things to wrap up before I head home. Take care, will you?"

"Of course. Goodbye, Arthur."

"Goodbye, Morgana."

Morgana sat at her desk. She had plans to make, but first, May's issue of the magazine wouldn't wait forever. So with a glance at the cover shots, she got back to work.

oo0Ô0oo

Morgana sighed as she stared out the train's window. It had begun showing in London the night before and hadn't stopped since. But it was worse out here in the countryside where there weren't as many obstructions. It was beautiful, but cold. And she didn't enjoy the cold—it was one of the many things that had driven her from Ealdor.

She'd been back only a couple of times after she'd stormed out the door of Sir Uther's manor twelve years ago. Back then she was desperate to get away from the "tyranny" of her father. And though she didn't want to admit it, she was also running from something that could have tied her to this village forever. Strong emotions she hadn't known how to deal with back then and she felt only marginally more prepared to handle now. Arthur had told her that _he_ still lived there, working to help run his mother's inn.

It had taken her several years to realize how he'd felt about her, even though they'd been around each other a lot. He had been- and still was -her brother's best friend. They let her hang around with them even though she was a girl. After she'd realized he was in love with her, it hadn't taken her long to realize she'd fallen for him too.

 _"Merlin, if we feel this way about each other then we should be together!"_

 _"But Morgana, if we went out, he'd find out and probably kill me. You just don't date your best friend's sister!"_

 _She took his hand. "You don't know that. He might just be happy for us."_

 _"Who might be happy for you?" Arthur asked as he entered the room. He observed his friend and his sister holding hands. Merlin tried to jerk his hand out of hers but she held tight._

 _"Arthur, Merlin and I are in love and we want to be together." Merlin blushed at this._

 _Arthur looked between the two for a long moment before breaking into a wide grin. "_ Finally! _So what happened that made you figure this out?"_

 _Merlin stood there gaping so Morgana answered. "I finally realized how he'd been looking at me for years and discovered I felt the same way."_

 _"Good on you."_

 _"You mean you're not going to kill me?" Merlin wondered._

 _Arthur chuckled at that. "Of course not. I trust you and I trust her. In fact, you're the only one I'd trust with her because I know you'll treat her like a princess." He smiled again. "Now, I'm going to go watch some telly so you two can have some alone time." He looked at Merlin. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Then he winked and left the room, not caring that he'd made Merlin flush again._

 _"I told you," Morgana crowed. "Now, where were we?" She took his other hand._

 _"I think—" was all Merlin got out, because she'd tugged him closer and laid her lips upon his for their first kiss of many._

Morgana smiled as the memory faded. The year they'd been together had been the happiest of her life up til then. He'd helped her get through her disagreements with her father, school-related stress and clashes with Arthur. And everything felt perfect until they chose the universities. She'd chosen the best school for the degree she'd wanted and he'd chosen his for what he wanted. They hadn't been the same.

 _"I thought we'd decided to go to Camelot together," Merlin griped._

 _"No, you chose Camelot. I said I was thinking about it. But Albion has the best journalism course," she replied._

 _"Camelot is the best for hotel management, but they're hundreds of miles apart!"_

 _"I know. But I've got it figured out—we'll date long distance."_

 _"Long distance? Morgana, you know that most long-distance relationships fail, right?"_

 _"But Merlin, what we have is something special, something that could really last. Will you give us a chance?"_

 _"I don't know. I won't be able to come home much. I've got a scholarship but I'll have to get a job to pay the rest. I don't think I'll be able to get away often if I want to keep it."_

 _"That's all right. I've got money—I'll come to you."_

 _"Is that what you'd really want? Morgana, I love you but I can't see how this is going to work out."_

 _"Merlin, please," her eyes were getting wet, "I don't want to lose you."_

 _Merlin took her hands and pulled her into an embrace. "We still have all summer to be together. And maybe . . . maybe one of us will change our minds?"_

 _She let him comfort her like that, kissing and cuddling coming after. But she was sure nothing would change. She wouldn't change her mind. She just_ had _to get as far away as she could, away from Uther and his unrealistic demands on her. Even if it meant losing Merlin._

They'd had a blissful summer together, but when it came time for both of them to go, they hadn't left together. They parted ways, vowing to write to each other and call as much as possible, but knew it was unlikely they'd be able to keep the relationship alive.

And just like that, she'd let the best thing that ever happened to her die because she wanted something for herself. He must have been too hurt to reach out to her and she didn't seek him out when she did return. So she built a wall around her heart and let no one in, because if she let down the love of her life, she'd let down anyone else too.

She barely noticed as the train pulled into the station. She collected her bags and disembarked, walking through the station. As she exited out the other side, she saw Arthur waiting in front of the limo. The picture made her roll her eyes, because _of course_ their father would insist on parading her through town in the limo.

Arthur rolled her eye roll and shrugged his shoulders in apology. "This is how rare your visits are, I'm afraid," he told her.

"You're not much better."

"Ah, but I only merit the Bentley." He frowned as he opened the door for her. "Seriously though, you ought to visit more often." He got into the car and closed the door behind him.

"You _know_ why I don't."

The car began moving. "Morgana, before you broke his heart, you were friends. I know you remember those days. You should—"

"Arthur, don't make me hit you. If I seek him out, it will be on my own terms, not yours. And I'm not ready to see him again."

He lifted his hands in surrender. "All right, all right. I'll just say this—you're here and Christmas is a time for forgiveness."

She glared but didn't say anything else. They spent the rest of the short ride in silence.

oo0Ô0oo

Arthur was nice enough to carry her things up to her childhood bedroom for her. On his way upstairs he whispered, "Father's in his room and is usually awake this time of day."

"Thanks," she whispered back as he disappeared. Then she started up the steps and veered off to the east wing, following in Arthur's footsteps.

She stopped at Uther's door and knocked. After she heard a muffled "come in," she opened the door and stepped inside to see her father sitting at his desk. "Morgana," he said and stood up to greet her.

"Father." She rushed over to embrace him. He seemed so much frailer than the last time she'd seen him. She pulled back to look him over and to scold him. "Shouldn't you be in bed? The doctors—"

"Oh hang the doctors. I should be able to do what I want and you can't tell me otherwise."

She smiled at his stubborn pride. "Now I know where I get my backbone from."

"You always gave me a run for my money." He wobbled a bit. "Looks like I need to sit again." He chuckled and she helped him ease into sitting again. "Thank you for coming—I know you're busy."

"Not too busy to come see you for Christmas."

"Come, sit."

She sat in one of the chairs near the desk. "The foyer looks lovely, by the way."

"Oh yes. The new housekeeper has done a fantastic job. The greenery everywhere is lovely. Smells wonderful too."

She smiled. "That it does."

Uther frowned. "Morgana, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why don't you visit more often?"

"Dad, you know why."

"I have an idea, but I want to hear it from you. We stopped fighting _years_ ago."

"Yes. I guess there are just too many unpleasant memories for me here."

"You're not talking about us, are you?"

"No."

"Morgana, you should go see him."

She threw her hands into the air. "Really? You too?"

"What?"

"Arthur lectured me on the way here. Dad, it's all water under the bridge. He's probably moved on with his life, found someone who wouldn't ditch him."

"Morgana . . ."

"He hasn't," Arthur's voice said from the doorway. Morgana turned to glare at him again. He walked over to his sister and sat in the other chair there. "He still lives with his mother, for crying out loud. Does that sound like someone who's moved on?"

"But he got his degree, yes?"

"Yeah, and he's taken over day-to-day operations of the inn. But he doesn't go out much."

"And you know this how?"

"Because unlike _some_ people, I keep in touch with my friends."

"Hasn't he dated? Traveled?"

"Yeah, but it never works out. He blames himself every time. And sure, he's traveled a little, but not much."

"I—"

"Okay Arthur, I think that's enough," Uther interrupted. "Morgana came here to enjoy time with us, not to dredge up past misgivings. If she wants to reconcile with Merlin, she will."

"But—"

"Just leave it." He started coughing but waved off Morgana when she stood to help. He took a sip from the water glass he had there. "Agreed?"

"Fine," Arthur replied.

"Now, Morgana probably wants some rest after her long train ride." She nodded. "All right then. Go take a nap or whatever you need and we'll see you at dinner."

"Thank you." She stood and leaned over to kiss Uther's cheek. "I will." She turned and left the room.

Morgana walked a few doors down to her room and turned the doorknob. It looked exactly the same as it had the last time she'd been here. A bold red on the wall and black and white everywhere else. There were other splashes of color here and there, and the overall effect was familiar and welcoming. She closed the door behind her and lay face down on the bed, pulling a throw over her. Within a few minutes, she was out like a light.

oo0Ô0oo

She woke to a knock on her door. "Yes?"

The door opened and a dark-skinned head poked inside. "Hello, I'm Gwen, the housekeeper. I'm here to tell you that dinner is ready. She opened the door wider and stepped inside the room.

Morgana took a longer look at her. Aren't you a little young to be head housekeeper?"

The young woman laughed a bit at that. "I get that a lot. But yes, I suppose I am."

"So, dinner?"

"Yep, come and get it." Gwen smiled brightly and led the way out of the room.

They caught up to Arthur helping Uther down the stairs. Morgana went to her father's other side for further support, and together they got down to the dining room. It looked beautiful with a tree decorated like the one that was in the foyer. "Wow, Gwen, you really did all this?" Morgana asked.

"You should see what she did to the rest of the floor," Arthur said, smiling over at the housekeeper.

Gwen blushed and ducked her head. "It is what I was hired for."

 _Hmm, looks like she has a bit of a crush_ , Morgana thought. Normally she didn't mess with others' love lives, but if Arthur was involved . . . it would be worth it to see him happy. Being home was having a strange effect on her. "Will you sit with us Gwen? Tell me what you've done since you've been here."

"Good idea," Uther chimed in, "sit and eat with us."

Gwen smiled and graciously accepted. They ate their way through the delicious dishes while Gwen discussed her holiday decorating. Morgana caught both Gwen and Arthur sneaking looks at each other when they thought neither was looking. It was adorable and she decided right then to get them together if at all possible. Gwen would be a good, calming influence on Arthur; he tended to overwork and he could use a reason to remind him to go home.

As she was thinking about this, she didn't notice Uther, Arthur and Gwen giving each other nonverbal signals. So she was surprised when Gwen swore. "I forgot to pick up a Christmas present for my niece! And I'll have no time between now and Christmas to go out shopping for it."

"Hey, maybe Morgana can go get it for you. Unless you have other plans," Arthur said.

"Um—" Morgana started, but Uther cut her off.

"You can use the Bentley, if you like."

"Okay, first off, I haven't said 'yes' yet, and second, the Bentley? No thanks."

Gwen turned to her. "Oh would you please? You can use my car—it's definitely not a Bentley." She smiled brightly.

Morgana looked around at the three of them. She highly suspected some sort of conspiracy, but there was no way to prove it yet. "All right then. How old is your niece?"

Gwen got out her keys. "She's four and is just so precious! She loves anything girly, so just use your best judgment. Thank you!"

Morgana stood. "All right. But I expect spectacular presents from you two." She pointed at the two men, who nodded. She sighed and picked up the keys while Arthur went for her coat. As he helped her into it, she said, "So Gwen huh?"

"Shh! Don't let Father hear you say that. He'll be peeved if I make eyes at her."

"Why? Because she's not good enough for you?"

"Morgana, no! Because he'd have to replace another housekeeper."

She started giggling. "You should ask her out. I don't think he'd mind, actually." She'd seen Uther watching the couple as well.

"I don't know—"

"Think about it."

"Okay."

Morgana left then. She found Gwen's car, got in and began driving back to the town. There was really only one store for the errand she was on, so she drove directly there.

oo0Ô0oo

The store was full of harried local shoppers. Morgana even recognized a few who waved or stopped to chat for a few moments. Eventually she made it to the toy aisles and went down the pink one. After browsing for a while, she chose a lifelike baby doll with a few accessories. One like it had been her favorite toy when she was four.

She wasn't looking to closely when she left the aisle and bumped into someone. "Oh, excuse me—" she started, before looking up at the person who she'd bumped. _No way_. It was Merlin, the one person she hadn't wanted to see.

He looked down at her too surprised to speak for a moment. Then, "Morgana? You're here? What—?"

He was cut off by a grumbling grandmotherly type who'd had to dodge around the two at the end of the aisle. "Here," Morgana said, and pulled him across the main aisle to a smaller, unoccupied aisle. "Yes, I'm here. And now, I have to go."

She made to leave but he caught her wrist. "Wait. Can we talk for a moment? I haven't seen you in so long."

She stopped and looked back at him. "What do you want to know?"

"Oh, a lot of things. But let's start with what brings you to Ealdor?"

"My father. Well, his health really. Arthur told me this might be his last Christmas."

"Really? I didn't know that. I mean, we talk, but he didn't mention anything like that."

"I guess he wanted to keep it in the family. Look, Merlin," she made the mistake of looking into his deep blue eyes. That caused her to lose her train of thought for a moment. She shook her head and got back to it. "I'm doing a favor for our housekeeper," she held up the doll, "and I'd better get back."

"Oh," he said, looking disappointed. "I, uh, okay then. Maybe I'll see you again?"

"I'm only there through Boxing Day."

"Okay, well good to see you, Morgana."

"Bye Merlin." She turned and walked away from him, her heart pounding. Wait, why was her heart pounding? _This was crazy!_ She was over him, _long_ over him, right? Was coming home a huge mistake if a few words and a look wound her up this much? She had to get out of here, and quickly, before she lost any more composure.

She walked to the checkout, paid then left. There was no way she was going to let one man ruin her valuable time with her family. She was the editor-in-chief of a major magazine and she didn't need a man to validate her. With that thought firmly in mind, she drove home.

oo0Ô0oo

At breakfast the next morning, Morgana, Uther and Arthur discussed the procuring of their family Christmas tree. Three days before Christmas was the traditional day to hike through the snow on their property and seek _The One_ for the family room. They adorned it with a mish-mash of decorations collected over the years, unlike the ones professionally done around the rest of the house. This year it would be just Morgana and Arthur poking around in the woods but they determined to do their job well.

Morgana was walking by the front door on the way back to her room when the doorbell sounded. She opened the door to find . . . Merlin. "What are you doing here?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Arthur didn't tell you?" She shook her head. "He invited me up here to hunt for a tree. For the inn."

"Yeah, right."

"Look, Morgana . . . I know you don't want to see me for whatever reason, but he really did invite me here. And I'd like to talk to you, so if you could just let me in . . ." Just that second, Arthur walked behind Morgana and Merlin spied him. "Arthur! Hey!"

Arthur stopped mid-stride. "Hey, Merlin, what are you doing out there in the cold? Come in." Arthur smirked at Morgana, who widened the door opening with a sigh. "Morgana, get your warm things on—we've got a tree to find."

Morgana rolled her eyes and gave Arthur her "I'm-so-not-happy-with-you" look but fetched her coat and boots from the coat closet. Arthur and Merlin chattered away while the former got accoutered for the outdoors. Snow was falling again and the temperature had dropped from the day before. She shuddered but the boys looked excited to get going. She finished and stood there waiting, holding back another sigh.

Arthur finally finished and gave her an odd look. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go."

They left the house and trotted off to the woods, which weren't that far away. The boys kept up their chatter and tried to involve Morgana in their conversation. Every time she answered with the fewest words possible. She couldn't help but think she ought to be more cheerful, but she just couldn't relax enough. Not with Merlin around, glancing at her every now and then like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve.

She was relieved when Merlin spotted his perfect tree and she and Arthur found one a few minutes later. They took turns swinging their axes at the trees and they came down before long. Morgana carried the axes while the boys each took a tree. When they reached the front of the house, Arthur helped Merlin tie the tree to the top of his car. After they drug the other tree inside, he invited the other man to stay for hot chocolate.

The trio shucked their coats and boots and headed for the kitchen. Arthur unearthed the mugs while Morgana mixed the cocoa. When it was done, they sat at the island and sipped the hot, chocolaty goodness. Morgana felt like it was past time she joined the conversation despite her discomfort. "Don't you already have a tree for the inn, Merlin?"

He looked surprised that she addressed him. "Yes, we have a few. But this one is for Mum's rooms. She likes to wait to get hers, just like you do."

"Oh, that makes sense. How is she doing, by the way?"

"Well you know her—working hard to stay active and fit. She's slowing down a little, but not much. If she keeps going the way she is, she'll probably outlive me." The trio chuckled at this, knowing just how true it was. Hunith was a firecracker and not easily deterred.

They chatted a bit longer. Morgana didn't notice Arthur and Merlin exchange a look, so it seemed sudden when Arthur excused himself by saying he had a bit of work to do. Morgana panicked a bit at being left alone with Merlin, but he just continued talking about lighthearted topics—about people they both knew, the town gossip and the running of the inn. He eventually got her smiling and laughing and she found herself relaxed in his presence. So she had no warning when he suddenly asked, "Morgana, why don't you ever visit Ealdor?"

Her mouth fell open a little and she stared into his sincere eyes. _Surely he already knew the answer to that?_ But she had a feeling that he wouldn't let her wiggle out of this one. "I think you know."

"No, I don't. You just don't come home. At first I thought it was because of Uther, but Arthur told me you'd reconciled. Then I thought it was because your job kept you busy, which I can understand."

"It does."

"Arthur told me that too. But he also tells me about exotic holidays you take, so I can't quite believe that either. So that leaves one possibility—me." He caught her eyes and for a few long moments, they stared at each other. The emotions she read in his made her duck her head. "That's it, isn't it?"

She kept looking down at the counter. "I-I . . ." She swallowed heavily and looked up at him again. He didn't look angry or upset, just curious and concerned. "Yes. I was- and still am -afraid of seeing you again. I let the best thing in my life go for selfish reasons. You have every right to be angry at me for how I treated you."

"Morgana, I was upset and confused for a while, true. But when I finally got through that, I realized that it wasn't all about me. You've always had hard things to deal with and I was naïve enough to think I'd solved that for you. But I hadn't and that was hard to admit. Because I'd have to admit I let you go too.

"So don't blame yourself. I'm just as much at fault as you are for the way things are now. And I know you probably don't want a romance entangling your busy life right now, but can we be friends? Like we used to be? I really enjoyed being a trio again—it was almost like old times, searching for the trees and making the hot chocolate."

"I-I'd like that too, Merlin. Especially now that I know you don't hate me."

"As if."

"That's kind of you."

"Will you visit Ealdor more in the future?"

"I can think of two good reasons to come back, so yes, probably."

Merlin smiled that smile she remembered from years ago—the slow, wide one that showed all his teeth. "Great! Hey, do you want to come over tomorrow and visit Mum? She'd love that, you know. You're like the daughter she never had."

"That's a great idea!"

"Bring Arthur, if you can drag him away from work."

"I will."

He got up and set his mug in the sink. "Speaking of Mum, she was expecting me back," he looked at his watch, "Yikes! An hour ago. Great, now she'll probably force me to make cookies all by myself." He pouted and the expression took her breath away.

She recovered enough to say, "Aw, poor Merlin. You love to bake and you know it."

He sighed dramatically. "You know me so well. But I must be off. See you after lunch tomorrow?"

"I'll be there."

With a "goodbye" and a final wave, he left through the kitchen door. Morgana was left to ponder the détente they'd reached—last time they'd been "just friends" their relationship had grown into romance. She really had to guard her heart or she could fall again.

oo0Ô0oo

That evening after dinner, the Pendragons gathered in their family room. Gwen and Arthur- Morgana had already begun her teasing -had dug the decorations out of the attic and brought them downstairs. Arthur put on a cd of Christmas music, and he and Morgana began decorating the tree. Uther gave his two cents on where certain things should go. Before long, the tree looked beautifully imperfect, just the way they liked it.

Right on cue, Gwen brought them hot mulled cider and Morgana turned out the lights. They "ooh-ed" and "ah-ed" and drank the cider while chatting a while longer. Uther finally yawned and stretched, but encouraged them to keep talking. The siblings laughed and hugged their father goodnight as Gwen helped him up to his room.

Arthur turned to his sister. "So you and Merlin talked?"

She ducked her head and smiled. "Ha, I figured your leaving was a clue. So, yes, we talked, and we're okay now." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "No, really. In fact, he invited both of us over to the inn tomorrow afternoon to visit with Hunith."

"Good. I'll see how work feels in the morning."

Morgana yawned then. "I guess it's time for me to get to bed too." She got up, they exchanged "goodnights" and soon she was in bed, asleep.

That night she dreamed about the time the three of them had an all-out snowball war. They'd built three snow-forts in a triangle then spent time making snowballs. Before long, they were throwing them at each other in wild abandon and laughing their heads off. Arthur went down first, falling back into the snow. Soon after, Morgana aimed one at Merlin's head and hit him in the eye. He cried out in pain and crumpled to his knees then his back. Morgana dropped her ammunition and ran over to him, asking him if he was all right. He just moaned until she got to him and knelt at his side. Her next question was cut off as he yanked her down on top of him with a "gotcha." Their eyes met and she had only the slightest hint of what he was going to do before he did it—he lifted his head slightly to press their lips together. She pulled back in shock, looked into his eyes and squashed their lips together again. Arthur's queries remained unanswered until he ran over, saw them and laughed.

She woke at that point and pressed her fingers to her lips. _Of all the things to dream about_ . . . she opened her eyes to the dark for a minute then closed them and went back to sleep.

oo0Ô0oo

Morgana spent her morning shopping for presents. She'd come to Ealdor with no idea of what to buy her father and brother. But after two days of just _being_ here, feeling the effect this place had on her. Her heart was softening and she didn't know that she wanted it to stop.

Arthur had spent the morning at Gwen's service, so by lunchtime he hadn't gotten any work done. At least none of the type he'd brought from his office. Morgana teased him about falling for Gwen, and to her surprise, he didn't argue with her. He simply blushed and smiled, saying "we do get along very well." She laughed and let it go, pleased that he appeared to have found a good woman at last.

As a result, Morgana drove alone to the Ealdor Inn. She remembered to walk around to the back to knock on the door of Hunith and Merlin's residence. Hunith opened the door with a smile and swept up the younger woman in a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Morgana laughed and hugged her back. It really was good to see her substitute mother again. Morgana's mother had been gone for so long that she only had tiny snatches of memories of her. "Hello Hunith," she replied, and let the older woman lead her inside.

Merlin also gave her a quick hug, which coated her in flour, since he had it all over his arms. She laughed and threw a handful toward him. That would have started a war if Hunith hadn't stepped in between them. The incident kicked off an afternoon of joking, baking and decorating the tree Merlin had brought back yesterday. Hunith invited her to stay for dinner, and she gladly accepted.

Of course that's when the questioning began. Hunith asked Morgana all manner of questions ranging from, "What's it like to be in charge of a magazine?" to "Are you seeing anyone?"

Merlin looked up a little too quickly at this question; Morgana noticed, but answered anyway. "Not at present. I meet friends for coffee or drinks now and then, but my schedule prevents much more."

"Do you think that could change anytime soon?"

"Coming back here has made me realize quite a few things, like how important family and friends really are. I need to make time for them, so yes, I hope to change that."

"Glad to hear it," Hunith replied, darting a look at her son. Morgana just smiled.

"So Morgana," Merlin started, "Would you like to join us for another Emrys family tradition?"

"Watching classic Christmas movies?"

"You remember!"

"I remember a lot more than you give me credit for."

Hunith stood. "Come on you two, what will it be first?"

Merlin and Morgana launched into a friendly debate about films and finally settled on "It's a Wonderful Life." They settled on the sofa, with Morgana in the middle. She felt herself relax and enjoy the film and the atmosphere. She could feel the walls around her heart tumbling down, and she didn't feel like doing anything about it. Merlin and Hunith made it feel so right.

The debate began again at the end of the movie. Hunith laughed and told them she'd leave it up to them because she was going to bed. She kissed the top of Merlin's head and gave Morgana another hug. "It's so good to have you here," she whispered before turning and leaving the room.

Morgana smiled and turned back to Merlin. He looked ready to begin arguing again, but Morgana said, "You know what? I can always watch the classic 'A Christmas Carol' at home tomorrow. Let's watch 'Scrooged.'"

Merlin looked dumbfounded for a moment before smiling. "Great. Popcorn?"

"Ooh, yes please."

Merlin made the popcorn and brought it to Morgana. He also grabbed the throw from the back of the sofa and tossed it over her legs. He sat next to her and she spread the throw over both of them after he put the film in the player.

As the movie played, she found herself moving closer and closer to Merlin's warmth. Eventually she settled right up to him and he seemed not to notice. It felt just like old times, when their trio got together or when she and Merlin had started dating. Sharing blankets and body heat had been second nature by then.

When it ended, Merlin stopped the playback and turned to her. He looked quite surprised at how close they'd gotten but didn't move away. "Thanks for coming over," he said softly.

"It's a shame Arthur couldn't come too," she replied.

Confusion washed over his face so briefly that she wondered if she'd really seen it. "Just like old times."

"Yeah, just like old times." She found herself leaning closer to him and her eyes sliding closed as she noticed him doing the same. When their lips touched, a spark of something lit off in her chest. She pressed back harder as his hand cupped her face.

The kiss lasted only a moment before he pulled back with a gasp. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—I wasn't going to pressure you, and—"

"And that's my cue to leave," Morgana finished. She got up and went back to the kitchen for her purse. Merlin followed her and opened his mouth to speak, but she covered it with her hand. "Don't, Merlin. It happened and we can't take it back. We were both feeling nostalgic and got carried away. But it can't work. You're here and I'm there and we both need to move on."

Merlin's head fell. "You're right, of course. Nostalgia is all it was."

"Thank you for a nice evening, Merlin. Good night."

"Good night. Say 'hello' to Arthur for me." He opened the door for her; she nodded and waved before getting in the car and driving back home.

She saved her internal monologue for when she was back home and alone in her room. _Why did I let that happen? I don't want to feel that way about him! It's too complicated! It'll never work out! What was I thinking? What was he thinking? It's Arthur's fault!_

That last thought brought up the reminder that she'd seen Arthur and Gwen snuggling on one of the formal sitting room's sofas when she came in. _At least he can enjoy some romance! I can't even think about what just happened without freaking out!_ She focused on her breathing, a part of a stress-relief class she'd taken a couple years ago. _Maybe what I really need is a therapist._

She sorted through her thoughts one at a time, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep until she'd gone through them. Okay, the kiss. She'd actually done the snuggling up to him. He hadn't moved much. So she was feeling something of their old companionship. A fondness for the way things had been. He'd obviously felt the same in the familiar circumstances. So they were both warm and comfortable enough to let certain boundaries slide. _That's_ how it happened. Not because she was feeling a resurgence of her love for him.

It all made sense now. They'd both gotten too comfortable around each other. It was a good thing she'd ended it when she had. And he'd seemed equally embarrassed as her, apologizing and all that. Just one slipup. And as tomorrow is Christmas Eve, she wouldn't be seeing him, so there was plenty of time for her to distance herself further from him.

Smiling, she settled into her bed and went to sleep. No dreams bothered her that night.

oo0Ô0oo

Morgana, Arthur and Uther met at breakfast in the morning. "Happy Christmas Eve." She commented as she sat down to tea, eggs and toast.

"How was your evening?" Arthur asked.

"Probably not as good as yours." Morgana smirked at him.

Arthur blushed. "Hey!"

"You and Gwen didn't even notice me when I got home last night."

Uther's eyebrow lifted. "Really?"

"It's true, Dad."

"Do I need to find a new housekeeper?"

"Dad! We're not moving _that_ fast," Arthur argued.

"Maybe Gwen would disagree."

Gwen entered from the kitchen at that moment. "Maybe I would disagree about what?"

"About how serious you and Arthur are getting," Morgana replied.

Gwen just blushed and disappeared back into the kitchen. Uther and Morgana laughed for a bit while Arthur fumed. Morgana watched as a sly look came over his face. "Father, I had a thought. Since I missed going to the inn yesterday, I wanted to apologize to Merlin and Hunith. Could I invite them over to dinner tonight?"

Uther looked a bit surprised at this, but appeared to think it over. "You know we usually like to keep Christmas dinner to family, but we haven't had them over in so long . . . Yes, I think that would be fine."

"You . . ." Morgana started, but Arthur just smirked.

"Is there a problem, Morgana?"

"Not at all. It will be lovely to have him- _them_ -here."

"Gwen!" Uther called. Gwen's head appeared in the doorway. "We'll have two more for dinner tonight. Make sure the staff knows."

"Of course Sir Uther." Gwen disappeared again.

"Arthur," Uther turned to his son.

"Yes, Father?"

"You can date Gwen, you know. I don't mind in the slightest."

"Thank you Dad."

"And Morgana, whomever you want to date is fine too. Just _do_ date."

Morgana was floored while Arthur nearly laughed himself right off his chair. She gave him a good shove and he _did_ fall of his chair with a "hey!" Morgana began laughing then.

"Children," Uther murmured while rolling his eyes. Morgana and Arthur clammed up. "Now, we have several hours to fill. I believe a few holiday movies are in order?"

They both helped Uther up and to the family room where the big-screen television sat. Morgana and Arthur deferred to him for film choices, though he did take recommendations from his progeny. That's how they ended up watching all three _Santa Clause_ films, cheesy and in-your-face as they were. Gwen wordlessly brought them lunch and took it away when they were done. They barely noticed the hours passing.

Uther looked at the room's clock when the credits rolled on the last one. He immediately declared that it was time to dress for dinner. Morgana and Arthur helped him to his room then Morgana left to get dressed.

Christmas dinner was always semi-formal. Morgana had brought a deep maroon halter dress, accented at the waist by a belt of interconnected gold leaves. She put her hair up in the back but left a few curled locks hanging at the front to frame her face. A bit of striking makeup and a pair of heels later, and she was on her way down to the dining room again.

She was the first downstairs, so she made good use of the laptop she'd brought with her. But before she could check her e-mail or do anything else, the front doorbell rang. She got up, crossed to the door and opened it.

The faces of Merlin and Hunith Emrys smiled up at her. Morgana didn't miss the astounded look on Merlin's face as he looked her over. She just smiled back and widened the door to let them in. Hunith wore a deep green sweater dress. She hugged Morgana as soon as the door closed behind her. Merlin wore a dark blue button-down shirt that brought out his eyes. His charcoal jacket and trousers completed his look. Morgana had to turn away so he couldn't see her reaction to how fantastic he looked.

She'd just invited them to sit in the sitting room with her when Arthur, supporting Uther, came downstairs. Uther welcomed the guests and invited them to follow him into the dining room.

The table was set festively, with holly and evergreen boughs. Uther sat at the head, Morgana and Arthur at either hand. Hunith sat next to Arthur and Merlin next to Morgana. As they sat down, Merlin whispered, "You look amazing."

"You don't look too bad yourself," she whispered back.

Conversation began with Hunith's inquiry about Uther's health. From there it flowed to Hunith's plans for the inn and everyone's plans for the New Year. The staff brought out the first course and talking slowed while everyone ate.

Morgana noticed Merlin's eyes dart over to her several times over the course of the meal. When she looked at Hunith or Arthur to see if they noticed, they just smiled enigmatically at her. They were no help. And Uther spread his attention around the table, not dwelling on anyone for too long. When she turned to answer Merlin, he stared into her eyes as if she was the answer to everything he could ask. Her heart began beating a little faster and something fluttered in her stomach. Something that remembered what it was like to kiss this man as a teenager, then like last night. And _that_ made the rest of her body hum.

She made it to dessert course before she couldn't take the tension any longer. After a few bites, she stood and muttered, "Please excuse me for a moment." She walked off, intending to take a short break in the family room, looking at the tree or staring out at the falling snow.

Back at the table, all the men had stood in polite deference. Merlin stared at the other two men, who stared back. Finally Arthur uttered a disgusted noise and said, "Well don't just stand there . . ."

". . . Go after her!" Uther finished.

Merlin immediately dropped his serviette and darted after Morgana, who was now no longer in view.

Morgana closed the door behind her, kicked off her heels and walked over to the window. She pressed her hand to the cool glass, then her forehead too. She closed her eyes and tried consciously willing her heart to slow, but to no avail. _What am I feeling? Is this really happening to me again after all this time? How can I bear it? I'm_ leaving _in two days!_

She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't hear the door open and close again behind her. Out loud she said, "What should I do?"

Morgana hadn't expected an answer, but one came in that achingly familiar voice, "Give in." Her eyes flew open and she turned around to see the source of her ache standing there, hands in his pockets. He took a step closer and said, "That's what I've done."

Her heart pounding again, she stared at Merlin, wondering. _He sounds so sure. But does he mean what I think he means?_ "To what?"

He took another step toward her. "I think you know, Morgana." Another step and he was only an arm's length away from her.

She folded her arms and rubbed them, chilled from standing at the window. He saw this and took off his jacket to put around her shoulders. He remained very close to her after this. "Why?" she wondered.

"Because I never stopped loving you. And I tried to, oh did I try. And coming back here after uni didn't help. Everywhere reminded me of us. And I tried and tried to date, but they just weren't _you_." He chuckled briefly. "They say you never forget your first love. Now I know it's true."

"I can't think . . ."

"Don't think, Morgana, just—"

He was cut off as she surged forward and mashed their lips together. To his credit, he recovered quickly and his hands skimmed down to her waist. She slid hers into his hair to hold them together.

 _Oh yes_. She definitely remembered this, but there was something different about it. More _mature_. She relished it. The thought made her push more forcefully against his hips. He moaned and broke to tilt his head better, but came right back to her lips. After a few more moments, she licked at the seam of his lips—he took the hint and opened his mouth to her. She slid her tongue inside and he panted while she tasted the roof of his mouth. He made another noise and began tangling his tongue with hers.

While they were engaged thus, neither noticed the door open then close again a moment later. They never knew Arthur had poked his head inside to check their expected progress. They also didn't see him nod and report to the parents in the dining room that "things are going better than we thought."

The couple had broken apart to catch their breath, pressing their foreheads together. "That—that wasn't what I meant, but I'll take it," Merlin panted.

"What—did you expect?"

"More argument."

"Why argue when we can—"

This time, Merlin cut Morgana off. He held her face between his hands and angled his face so their lips fit together just so. She held onto his sides for dear life, then reasserted herself by pushing him backward until his legs hit the sofa. She broke away to push him down onto it, then sat on his lap. Planting her hands on his chest, she attacked his mouth again and forced her way inside. He let her in with a groan and slid his hands into her hair. Soon her hair was a wreck, but she couldn't care less—everything they were doing to each other felt too wonderful.

He brought his hands back to her face and caressed it softly. Then he gently pushed her face away, but only so far that he could rest his forehead on hers again. They were breathing harder than before and it took them longer to catch their breath before either could speak.

"We—should really—talk before this—goes—too much—further," he finally got out.

"I—suppose," she agreed.

"I really missed you."

"I'm sure it's obvious, but I feel the same."

"Can we go back to being . . . this?" He gestured between the two of them.

"I—I'd like to."

"The distance?"

"Now you're bringing up all _my_ worries."

He flushed. "I didn't mean to."

She put a hand on his face. "It's okay. By now I'm pretty sure I never stopped loving you. Just buried it underneath all my pain and doubts."

"I would have waited. I _did_ wait."

"I know. And I can't thank you enough for that. I just wish I could make up for all I put you through."

"Morgana, look at me." She looked into his eyes. "I didn't try either, so it's partly my fault. Can we just say 'I forgive you' and go from there?"

"I forgive you," they said together. Then they smiled like the fools in love that they were.

"So, the distance," he reminded her.

"Yes. How about this: I have to go back to London anyway. What if I set things up so I can step back from my position, move here and see how things work out between us?"

"You'd do that for me?"

"Merlin, I'm fairly sure you'd do something similar for me. And we both have access to transportation to survive in between."

He gave her a brief, thankful kiss. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Oh, I think I do. About as much as it means to me. Being back here has had this effect on me. It makes me crave the things I gave up for what I thought I wanted. Home. Family. Love." She pressed her lips to his again, sweetly.

"Sounds good to me. Let's talk."

So they did. They sat on that sofa in the family room and talked. And kissed. But mostly talked. Morgana explained what she was thinking about doing, and since she was the boss, she could do it. She'd create a position she could work mostly from Ealdor then step aside as editor-in-chief. She thought it would be one of the hardest decisions she'd have to make, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy.

They planned what they'd do once she moved back to Ealdor. She decided to live at home and Merlin would find a place they could live in together once they were married. He was adorably old-fashioned about that, but she respected it. Marriage was also in the cards for sometime in the future, because they realized that as much as they loved each other, they still had several years of catching up to do.

Once they'd gotten all this down, they rejoined the rest of the group; they'd moved to the sitting room and were chatting about this and that. The three sitting there all turned their heads to look at them. Hunith smiled and nodded as she noticed they were hand-in-hand. Uther just raised an eyebrow and smiled. Arthur asked, "Everything all right?"

Merlin and Morgana looked at each other and grinned. "Just fine," Merlin replied.

The couple sat down and subjected themselves to questions, mostly from Arthur. Everyone was delighted at the news, but grew confused when Morgana said, "This way I can spend your remaining time with you," to Uther.

Uther, Hunith and Merlin looked at her in puzzlement. "What do you mean?" Uther asked.

Morgana looked at Arthur, who was doing everything humanly possible to not look at her then back at her father. "Aren't you dying with only a few months to live?"

"No! Who told you that?"

Arthur stood up. "Excuse me, I've got to—"

Morgana cut him off. "Arthur."

Four pairs of eyes looked up at Arthur. "And why did you do that, Arthur?" Uther queried.

The man in question blew out a sigh and sat back down. "To get her to come here."

"Arthur—" Morgana tried.

"Would you have come if I hadn't said that?" Morgana looked at the floor but said nothing. "See?" he said to Uther.

"Arthur—" Uther tried.

Arthur cut him off. "But it worked didn't it? Would the five of us be together right now? Would Merlin and Morgana have reconciled? I don't think so," he said smugly.

The others looked at him with various expressions of surprise before Uther started laughing. "Dad, this isn't funny," Morgana complained.

"But it is. His 'evil' plan worked. Would you be as happy as you are now if you'd stayed in London?"

She looked at Merlin who shrugged. The gesture was so apropos that Morgana began giggling and Arthur joined her. Soon Merlin and Hunith joined them.

That broke the tension in the room and they soon began chatting about the future again.

oo0Ô0oo

Christmas was a beautiful day. Morgana was grateful for all she'd learned and experienced by coming home. The Pendragons spent the day reminiscing about previous Christmases and enjoying the goodies the staff had left behind.

Boxing Day morning found Morgana packing for her trip home. She thought fondly of everything that had happened to her here. When she finished, she went downstairs with her bags and stood waiting in the foyer. Arthur and Uther were there; Uther embraced her for a long while and gave her a few words of wisdom for nurturing long-distance love.

When he finished, Arthur took her bags out to the car and drove her to meet her train. He also got a hug and gave an apology. She forgave him and thanked him—if he hadn't lied about Uther she wouldn't have come. And she definitely wouldn't be as happy as she was now.

Morgana's colleagues in London were understandably confused about her choices, but respected them. It took her three months to arrange things to her satisfaction, along with packing her flat and seeing it rented again. She returned home with a clear conscience and a happy attitude. She finally had everything she'd ever wanted and was going to enjoy her new life to its fullest.

* * *

 **So, was it worth the fantastic amount of scrolling? More on the way soon!**


	9. Happy New Something

**I combined prompts at LJ and came up with New Year's Eve and drunken shenanigans. I don't drink so hopefully I did OK with the drunken behavior. ;)**

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Merlin thought it was a bad idea. A horribly bad idea, actually. Because the idea meant he'd have to do all the work—the prep and the cleanup. But it had been a while since their gang had gotten together and even longer since they'd celebrated a holiday together. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the girls would help, if not take over the whole thing. So he smiled, picked up the phone, his half of the invite list and got dialing.

And that's how he and Arthur had ended up with all _this_ in their flat. Morgana, Gwen and Freya _had_ taken over the planning. They cleaned, cooked and decorated the hell out of the place. Merlin had protested, _it's just New Year's Eve_ , but they hadn't listened. And now his flat looked like a cross between a trashy pub and a party store. That was _not_ a compliment.

Gwaine, of course, had led the alcohol brigade. He'd assigned every male member of their group a different form of alcohol, and Lance, Elyan, Leon, and Percival had delivered. Merlin didn't even know what some of the stuff was—of course being a notorious lightweight facilitated that ignorance.

But the worst had to be the games. He had never heard of some of the ones Morgana proposed. And of course she was three sheets to the wind by the time she proposed musical chairs. Unfortunately that one seemed to capture everyone's fancy. He was quickly roped in by Morgana and went willingly, well, because he might have a sort of thing for her.

During the first round, he was doing very well. Until he wasn't and Morgana pulled him onto her lap and claimed he was safe. That started all sorts of teasing until she bent over and threw up on his shoes. The others continued the game without them as he helped her clean up and replaced his shoes. She apologized profusely and even tried to kiss him, but there was no way he'd take advantage of her in her current state. Even if it was oh-so-tempting.

They went back out to the living room where they found the game still in full swing. Morgana pulled him back in the next round and again he found himself pulled onto her lap. She'd even started to nibble his ear before he got away.

He tried to walk away after that round ended, but he found her hand yanking his wrist backwards. He fell on her lap again and decided he wasn't nearly inebriated enough for this. And even though he advised her not to, Morgana followed him into the kitchen. She cuddled up to him while they drank their mulled wine, and this time, he let her kiss him.

They laughed and stumbled back out into the living room where musical chairs was _still_ going on. This time he laughed when Morgana pulled him hard onto her lap—but unfortunately the force of it hit her stomach and she threw up on his shoes _again_.

Everyone stared for a moment before breaking out into drunken giggles. But Merlin helped Morgana up again to the bathroom in his bedroom. He gently cleaned her up and got her some mouthwash. When he finished, he told her, "You're done for the night," and pushed her into his bed, sans shoes. He smoothed the hair back from her forehead and kissed it before drawing his blankets over her.

He walked back out into the living room and found the game busted up. It was nearly 3 am and every single person, especially Gwaine, was drooping. He sighed and yanked Arthur down the hall to their linen closet where he pulled out heaps of blankets and stuffed them into Arthur's arms. They paraded back to the living room and handed them out to their friends. He advised them to find a comfy space and sleep because he couldn't in good conscience let them leave in their current state.

Lance and Freya settled down next to each other, Gwaine claimed the couch and Arthur dragged Gwen to his bedroom. The others claimed spaces on the floor and Merlin wished them all "goodnight." He turned out the lights, ignored the kitchen and stumbled back into his bedroom.

There he climbed into his bed and lay as far as he could from Morgana. He turned on his side, snuggled down into the mattress and drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Merlin was woken by the sound of someone rattling around in his bathroom. That's when the headache hit him. He groaned and slowly dragged himself out of bed, staggering over to the bathroom. Morgana was rifling through his medicine cabinet like a woman possessed. "Where's Gaius's hangover stuff?"

"Sorry, you'll have to make do with the paracetamol this time," he told her. He pushed past her and grabbed the bottle. He shook out a few, handed her half and filled up a glass of water for them.

After they'd both consumed the painkiller, she turned and looped her arms around his neck. "Have I told you that I fancy you?"

"Not in so many words, no." He grinned at her. She kissed the grin right off of his face and it may have developed into something more if there hadn't been a crash in the living room. "To be continued." He grabbed her wrist and yanked her out the bedroom door.

Leon was standing there, sheepishly staring at the glass he'd knocked onto the dining room floor. But the sound had woken everyone else up, and they were moaning and groaning in pain. Morgana went back to Merlin's bathroom for the paracetamol while Merlin grinned and said, "Happy New Year everyone!"

There were a few more groans but a couple return greetings too. Arthur and Gwen came out of Arthur's bedroom. Gwen's eyes lit up and she yelled, "Happy Birthday, Merlin!"

More groans echoed throughout the room. But Gwen ran over to those still on the floor and helped them up. Morgana had come out of the bathroom with the painkiller and was handing it out to everyone. Soon Gwen had everyone patting Merlin on the back and trooping into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. They made Merlin a giant pancake with chocolate chips and put a candle in it. They had him sit and eat it before anyone else could eat anything. And after a hungover round of "Happy Birthday," he did.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. I've got 1 more coming- hang on tight! :)**


	10. The Jackpot Question

**So this is my last drabble for 2015. Thanks to HoRnIe DeMoN for your prompt- I hope I did it justice!**

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Merlin kicked at the slush in his path. He'd been pacing in front of Pendragon, Inc. for the last twenty minutes, waiting for his crush to arrive. He thought it would be best to waylay her before they got inside the building, because once inside, his boss would waylay _him_ and keep him busy all day. Plus, this idea had been niggling at him for days and the only way to make it stop was to _ask_ her.

Morgana Pendragon was the most beautiful VP anywhere, let alone at Pendragon, Inc. He remembered the first time he'd seen her, on his first day of work here. She'd made her Chanel suit look fantastic and she smelled heavenly as she walked to his desk. Her ebony hair swirled loose around her head and her jade-green eyes took him by surprise. So stunned was he that he missed her question the first time she asked it. "I'm sorry?" he said.

"Is Arthur in? I need to speak to him." Then she'd smiled kindly at him with her perfect mouth.

He made sure not to get lost in her lips so he could answer, "Yeah, go ahead."

"You're new here, aren't you?"

"Hmm?" In his head he'd already fantasized about what he could do to that mouth.

"You're Arthur's new PA?"

"Oh, yes. Just started today."

She stuck out her hand. "Morgana Pendragon, VP over design."

He stared at her hand for a second before taking it. She was actually touching him! "Merlin Emrys."

Her smile nearly knocked him out. "Nice to meet you, Merlin. I look forward to seeing more of you in the future." Then she turned and minced her way to Arthur's door, entering without bothering to knock.

And they _had_ seen a lot of each other. Morgana and Arthur worked together a lot, it seemed. And every time she came to see her half-brother, she made sure to chat with Merlin a little first. He also saw her at company events and those sometimes evenings when Arthur invited him to the pub. She was always friendly, warm and kind, making sure Merlin was included. And he just fell deeper and deeper.

That brought him back to this moment, a year and then some after he'd started his job. His friend Gwaine was throwing "the ultimate New Year's Eve bash" and had told Merlin that "he'd better not show up stag again" or he'd set Merlin up with someone. And that never worked out well for Merlin. Gwaine just sat on the sidelines and laughed his bum off.

So here he was, waiting for Morgana to show up so he could ask her to the party. And oh, there she was now, getting out of her car. He rushed forward. "Morgana, hi."

"Hello, Merlin. Is there something I can help you with?" She stood there while her car drove away.

"Actually, yes. I, um . . ." He froze, forgetting the script he'd come up with inside his head. _Poof!_ Gone.

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she watched him fumble for words. "Is it about the company Christmas party? Because I know you and Gwen have it—"

"No!" He cut her off accidentally. "Sorry. Um, I wanted to ask you something."

She smiled. "Go ahead."

"What are you doing New Year's Eve?" he blurted out shyly. "I mean, you probably have like a thousand invitations and maybe I'm crazy to suppose you'd choose to come to my friend's party with me, but . . ." he clapped an embarrassed hand over his mouth to stop spewing nonsense.

"You want me to go to your friend's party with you?"

"Yes?"

She touched his arm. "Merlin, out of all the invitations I've received, yours was the most sincere and heartfelt. I'd love to go with you to that party."

Merlin's heart began tap-dancing in his chest. "You will? Fantastic!" He took both her hands. "Thank you so much."

She looked a little surprised at his enthusiasm, but smiled back at him. "Would you like to walk me inside?"

"Absolutely!"

Morgana held onto his arm as they walked inside and took the elevator to their floor. As they walked to his desk, she leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Don't forget to e-mail me the details," she told him before walking away to her own office.

Merlin floated down to his chair, ignorant of the stares he was getting from the rest of the office. As far as he was concerned, his day had already been made. Nothing Arthur told him to do would ruin the sublimity that was this perfect day.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I may or may not mark it as "complete" but I do plan on continuing next holiday season! :)**


	11. Homemade Christmas

**Merry Christmas 2016! Here's a bromance-y Christmas ficlet for y'all. :)**

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Six days before Christmas and Merlin was now fully prepared. He'd decorated the flat, done the baking, and his last present from Amazon had arrived today. It was now wrapped and under the tree with the rest of the ones he was giving. He'd also updated his Christmas card list and signed inside the cards. All he had to do was address them and write a short letter. Then he'd be good to go for Christmas! It was odd being the responsible one for once.

By contrast, his flatmate Arthur hadn't done hardly anything. He'd willingly let Merlin do all the baking and decorating, occasionally giving input but not lifting a finger to help. He'd done a little online ordering, Merlin had noticed, and had gone to a Christmas market downtown that Merlin had dragged him to. Arthur didn't have anywhere to go for the holiday, as his sister would be with her fiancé's family and his father would be out of town on business. Merlin had invited him to come to his mother's house with him, but Arthur hadn't given him a firm answer yet.

So Merlin was naturally worried about Arthur. He just didn't seem to be in the mood for Christmas. When Merlin asked him about that, he'd said his childhood Christmases had been nothing special. It had been just the three of them; present unwrapping didn't take long. And their rich father always bought them what they'd asked for. They'd never gotten to decorate or bake—their servants had always taken care of those things.

Merlin thought that sounded woeful indeed, but he was determined to make a happier Christmas for Arthur this year. He pushed and pushed at Arthur until he said, yes, he'd go to Merlin's mother's house. Merlin smiled and gave him a hug, telling him he wouldn't regret it. Two days before Christmas, he carefully packed his gifts into Arthur's car, and they were off to Ealdor.

Merlin turned the radio onto a station that played Christmas music. Arthur gave him a look, but didn't say anything. As they drove, Merlin told Arthur all about his little family's traditions. "First we'll decorate the tree; Mum's told me she's got a gorgeous one this year. Then we'll decorate the sugar cookies and gingerbread men. We used to leave them out for Father Christmas, but now we just eat them with lots of hot cocoa."

"That sounds . . . fun," Arthur replied.

Merlin made a face. "Of course it is. Then in the morning we'll open all our presents and eat a breakfast of waffles covered in strawberries and whipped cream. Oh, and sausages for protein. After we clear that up, it's time to start on Christmas dinner."

"I suppose you'll have a turkey and the usual sides."

"Why yes, we do. And you'll get to help."

Arthur eyes widened. "Merlin, you know how I am with cooking . . ."

"Yes, you're the takeaway king, but don't worry. Mum and I will be there to help you."

"Oh-kay."

Soon they arrived at Merlin's mum's house. Hunith threw her arms around Arthur in welcome and he gasped at her strength. But as she led them inside, he looked around in wonder. The place looked positively Christmas-y. It was cozy without being pretentious, sort of halfway between their flat and how his father's house looked. He smiled and basked in the warmth, going where Hunith instructed him and putting down his things.

That first evening they sat around and talked about anything and everything while drinking mulled cider. Arthur learned more about Merlin from Hunith and was pleased to see him blush whenever she told a particularly embarrassing story. He hadn't seen Merlin embarrassed before, though he did plenty of things that would have embarrassed Arthur.

The next morning they set to decorating the tree. Merlin dug out boxes of ornaments from the attic and brought them down. Arthur had as much fun hearing the stories behind some of the ornaments as he had from the previous night. Many of them had been made by Merlin in his primary school days. After everything was on the tree, Hunith invited Arthur to set the tree topper, which he did gladly. He'd never known decorating could be this much fun.

After Merlin had taken the boxes back to the attic, they trouped into the kitchen to start decorating the cookies. Hunith took several containers out of the freezer and laid them on the counter while Merlin pulled out the powdered sugar and decorating bags. Arthur watched as Merlin and Hunith mixed the icing and showed him how to use the bags. Soon Arthur was decorating fairly well and smiled at his and the others' creations. It really was quite a fun activity.

Soon it was evening again, and once again they sat around the living room with mulled cider. This time Arthur told Merlin and Hunith stories from his childhood. He found himself opening up to these two more than he had to anyone else. Hunith and Merlin just made it easy somehow.

It seemed he'd just laid down to sleep when Merlin was shaking him awake. He led Arthur over to the tree where Hunith was waiting for them. They sat down and began dividing up the presents. Arthur was surprised to see ones from his sister and father there. Merlin must have been behind that.

They rotated opening presents. Merlin explained that this made the joy last longer. Arthur and Merlin both received scarves from Hunith, and Merlin had gotten Arthur a new sweater that matched his eyes. Arthur was immensely grateful to them both for thinking of him. It was somehow nice not to get exactly what he wanted.

Breakfast was quite enjoyable. He'd never had the combination of waffles, strawberries and whipped cream before, but it was delicious. He gladly helped clean up and ready the kitchen for making dinner.

Actual cooking was surprisingly fun. Merlin made it fun with his goofy jokes and clumsiness. But despite those, the man could cook. Arthur wondered how he'd never noticed before. He watched and assisted in awe as Hunith and Merlin created enough food to feed at least ten, let alone three.

Eating the dinner was even more enjoyable. He'd thought he'd known everything about Merlin and Hunith by now, but the stories kept coming. He found himself laughing quite a lot and marveling at how this tiny family made Christmas so much more enjoyable than his childhood experiences had been.

That night he went to bed, grateful his goofy flatmate had invited him to his family Christmas. It was wonderful to see what Christmas could be like with those who took the time and care into making it an enjoyable experience. Next year he'd help Merlin decorate and bake more, and even ask him to teach him how to cook.

Arthur missed the satisfied smiles Merlin and Hunith exchanged before they went to bed. It truly had turned out to be the kind of Christmas that Arthur needed and deserved.

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 **Thanks for reading and have a great Christmas! :)**


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